The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating: 3.5

A good film and book.
The biggest secret of all: a cure for insomnia.
Cast Away this one
Suspensful and interesting and well acted!
This Movie Was Almost Great

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The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Tom Hanks , Audrey Tautou , Ian McKellen , Jean Reno , and Paul Bettany
Director: Ron Howard
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Product Group: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B00005JOC9
2006-11-14

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Amazon.com

Critics and controversy aside, <I>The Da Vinci Code</I> is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise. The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the plot is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn't envy screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, the man tasked with making this story filmable. The script follows Dan Brown's book as closely as possible while incorporating a few needed changes, including a better ending. And if you're like most of the world, by now you've read the book and know how it goes: while lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police to help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist. Neveu and Langdon team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe, ballooning into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, where secret societies are discovered, codes are broken, and murderous albino monks are thwarted… oh, and alternative theories about the life of Christ and the beginnings of Christianity are presented too, of course. It's not the typical formula for a stock Hollywood thriller. In fact, taken solely as a mystery, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving. Brown's greatest trick was to have the entire story take place in one day, so the action is forced to keep moving, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. As a screen couple, Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly memorable; meanwhile Sir Ian McKellen's scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needed to keep it from taking itself too seriously. The whole thing is like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini

<span class="h1"><strong></strong></span> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/books/davinci/da-vinci_header._V55089325_.gif" border="0">
Visit The Da Vinci Code Store</td> </tr> </table> <b>On The DVD</b>
The DVD extras on a film as popular as The Da Vinci Code should be plentiful, and this version doesn't skimp. With over 90 minutes of special features, including ten behind-the-scenes featurettes, there's a lot here to explore beyond the film itself. The question is, is there anything new here that we haven't heard before, in all the hype, pseudo-documentaries, and controversy surrounding the movie, to make it worthwhile? For most viewers, the answer will be "yes." Essentially, if you like the movie, if you enjoyed the book, you will get a lot out of them.

Just as the movie is intended to make the book come to life, the DVD extras should make the film come to life by pointing the audience into the world of the filmmakers, connecting the dots between print and film, and for the most part they do just that. The extras here range from the typical look behind-the-scenes to more in-depth features on the supporting characters, the locations, and the <I>Mona Lisa</I> herself. "First Day on the Set with Ron Howard" features the director gushing about the opportunity to film in the Louvre and work with Tom Hanks again (the two worked together before on Splash and Apollo 13). It's a short piece that doesn't reveal much beyond making an attempt to share Howard's excitement (with the "Gee, I really loved working with him/her on this project" that you hear in every such featurette), but viewers might enjoy seeing how the stage was set up in the famous museum, down to the spike tape on the floor showing actors where to hit their marks. The Filmmaking Experience, Parts 1 and 2 further explores the creative and technical aspects of the filmmaking process. A Conversation with Dan Brown starts out feeling like a puff-piece (the man who wrote this book got started at age 5 with a story called The Giraffe, The Pig, and the Pants on Fire. "It was a thriller," he says.) and unfortunately it doesn't go very deep into much of anything of interest. But on the other hand, this isn't 60 Minutes here; it's intended to give viewers a better sense of the man behind the franchise, which it does. Much of the footage from this interview is sprinkled throughout some of the other featurettes. Meanwhile, the character behind the franchise, Robert Langdon, is examined in his own featurette, as is Sophie Neveu. The cool thing here is getting under the skin of the actors to see how they approached the characters, knowing that most of the movie-going public already has formed their own ideas about the characters from the book.

The most interesting extras are the featurettes that focus on the history behind the mystery. Or is it the mystery behind the history? Either way, the first one on the <I>Mona Lisa</I>, and the second featurette on the many codes and symbols that are hidden throughout the movie balance out the remainder of the extras nicely by demonstrating the sense of intrigue, mystery, and game-playing adventure that made The Da Vinci Code so popular in the first place. --Daniel Vancini

<span class="h1"><strong>Beyond The Da Vinci Code</strong></span> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/books/davinci/more-dan-brown_brow._V55037603_.gif" border="0">
</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/aplus/davinci/hanks.jpg" border="0">
The Films of Tom Hanks</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/aplus/davinci/da_vinci_howard_small.jpg" border="0">
The Films of Ron Howard</td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="4" cellpadding="4"> <tr align="center" valign="top" class="tiny"> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007XG02W.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
The Da Vinci DVDs: Decoding "The Da Vinci Code"</td> <td width="33%"> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1579124577.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0">
More About The Artist</td> </tr> </table> </p>

<span class="h1"><strong>Stills from <I>The Da Vinci Code</I> (click for larger image)</strong></span> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

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Description

Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Join symbologist Robert Langdon (Academy Award® Winner Tom Hanks, 1993 Best Actor, Philadelphia, and 1994 Best Actor, Forrest Gump) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) in their heart-racing quest to solve a bizarre murder mystery that will take them from France to England - and behind the veil of a mysterious ancient society, where they discover a secret protected since the time of Christ. With first-rate performances by Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Jean Reno, critics are calling The Da Vinci Code "involving" and "intriguing," "a first rate thriller."

Customer Reviews:

A good film and book........2007-06-12

I read the book on which this film is based before viewing the film. I was surprised that the film did, in fact, replicate the book.

There is some great acting in this film, & it does make the viewer think. Do I actually agree with the premise of the book and film? No.

This is not Tom Hanks' best film, but he did a good job of portraying the film's main character. I liked him better in films like "Forrest Gump" because these films truly show his versatility as an actor.

Even if you don't agree with its premise, I recommend that you read the book and then see this film.

The Da Vinci Code

The biggest secret of all: a cure for insomnia........2007-06-07

Tom Hanks is Robert Langdon, the walking bibliophile of ancient codes and symbols, who is implicated in the murder of one of the Louvre's curators, a man who himself is something of a mystery. Brought to the scene of the crime without being told that he's a suspect, Langdon is shocked to find the body positioned according to Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man", and more shocked to learn that the victim assumed this position himself before dying - a sort of final coded message between two men with a love for codes. Warned of the suspicions surrounding him by Sophie Neveau (Audrey Tatou), the dead man's granddaughter, Langdon escapes and leads the police in a chase across France in a desperate gamble to learn the victim's last, greatest secret. Soon, Langdon's pursuers come to include a homicidal monk dispatched by a Bishop of the reactionary order of Opus Dei, and all events are shown to have been manipulated by a mysterious character known as "Teacher". As Langdon picks up clues, he begins to realize that the mystery may involve the legend of the "Holy Grail", and heads for the home of an old friend, Sir Lee Teabing, the foremost proponent of a particularly unique theory of Grail legend.

Even giving the movie the same allowances as the book, DVC is a horrible movie, slow, pedantic and full of red herrings that no sane moviegoer will fall for. The religious controversy surrounding DVC thinly masks the movie's two cardinal flaws - 1) that it takes itself way more seriously than it deserves (the world is full of distinct religions espousing wholly incompatible beliefs - are we to believe that an admittedly dramatic discovery on one of them will really change the rest of the world? Also, assuming the secret was uncovered, DVC never clears up how it would be proven); 2) it's boring! At over two hours (and boy, will you feel it!) the only secret uncovered is that it's possible to have both Ian McKellan and Tom Hanks in a movie lacking almost any energy. Hanks is serviceable as Langdon, Dan Brown's factotum of symbols nobody really cares about. KcKellen chews up the scenery as Teabing, but ultimately the pointlessness of his character overwhelms McKellen's presence - whether you buy into his theories or not depends largely on the same degree of faith as the religion that Teabing assails. The flick telegraphs its thrills - my wife and I were able to guess what would happen next, who would say what, etc... The novel excelled because skillful pacing kept the action from being overwhelmed by the hot air of its long theories.

The film plays down the novel's attacks on the Church for a more sustained atmosphere of religious antipathy (from disfavored apostles to Isaac Newton, if you've got a mind of your own, the Church hates and fears you, a bit of low-grade demagoguery that the script takes for granted). To add insult to injury, DVC treats the Church as irrelevant (despite their wealth and power, the clergy in DVC are relegated to being unwitting pawns of a higher, if more temporal power). But as I said, the story's attack on religion is itself a smokescreen hiding the fact that DVC is simply inert.

Cast Away this one.......2007-06-04

After hearing and reading all the fuss about this movie, I finally got to see it. Seems the fuss was about the subject matter and not the movie. Tom Hanks gave a mediocre performance at best, taking a back seat to the story I guess. The dots were connected too quickly and easily.

The movie was entertaining, but that was mostly because of the strong performances of Ian McKellen and Jean Reno.

I'm not much for conspiracy theories,so I'm sure I'll get blasted for my review but I have seen better told stories (regardless of the subject).

For some of Tom Hanks best see Cast Away. For some outstanding story telling see Strangers on a Train.

This movie makes for good Cable Fodder, but isn't one that will stand the test of time.

Suspensful and interesting and well acted!.......2007-06-04

Tom Hanks and the ensemble worked well together for this movie. A fast paced intellectual thriller that captures your interest all the way to the end. Wonderful scenes of Paris, etc. I thought the movie was great. Only one 'flaw', throughout the movie there were many night scenes that were too dark to see everything on screen. All in all the movie kept true to the book and that's a rarity. Just a few things were omitted from the book, but that's understandable. A great movie I highly recommend it for all.

This Movie Was Almost Great.......2007-06-03

I know that I'm probably the last American to see this film, but I'm sure mine won't be the last words written on this controversial subject. The film got pretty so-so reviews, which is surprising since Tom Hanks almost always delivers a very memorable film, but after seeing the film, I guess I can understand some of the reviews.

Speaking of Tom Hanks, I thought that he was less than sure-footed in this film which is unusual. At first I thought it was his portrayal of his character, but I don't think that was it entirely. In many moments of repose, he just seemed uncertain, etc.

The female lead was tremendous in the role, and she sailed through the movie as if it were all real, and I felt that the synergy between the two was great !

I enjoyed the angry driven stereotypical French detective, and really responsed to the bad guys, in the ways intented.

My conclusion is that this movie was almost great, and the combination of a bunch of little things, kept it from being great. Timing seemed off, I think that direction could have been tighter and ditto with editing, Tom was tenuous on a number of occasions, and the French detective's reaction to discovering that the truth about the hero seemed really understated, even for the French, and lost a ton of dramatic potential.

I enjoyed the subject matter, found it almost believable, and I suspect that some variation on that theme might be correct. I am pleased that the movie created so much controversy, because that has caused a lot of people to think about all of this, which can only be good.

I personally am going to watch it again, because I am curious to see how it feels to me, the second time around. I recommend this film.

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