After two years and much anticipation, Dan Brown's controversial novel "The Da Vinci Code" has been brought to life on film. The controversy arose out of the novel's theories regarding one of the most ancient relics of the church, the Holy Grail. Apparently this theory has riled some members of the church, as well as members of the Christian community. \nI certainly haven't been able to turn on a TV in the last week or so without hearing all about the church's condemnation of the film, and their implorations that no Christian see it. Odd though, that the church would spend so much time and effort attempting to discredit a film they have pronounced to be ineffectual and totally inaccurate. Their staunch proposal that no real Christian would take this "absurd" premise seriously has been documented in no less than 24 "Cracking the Da Vinci Code" type books, and even a few preemptive TV specials. Strange behavior for such an unshakable and self-assured organization, no? \nTo be sure, the book and the film contain inaccuracies, exaggerations and shaky premises of argument, but many renowned books and films have had the same problems. This one, however, takes on the church, that shakiest of all premises of argument. And therein lies the rub. Luckily, however, the film is a piece of entertainment and should thusly be judged.\nScreenwriter Akiva Goldsmith's treatment of the novel is mostly accurate, changing only a few prominent details in an effort to cut the running length of the film. For all the critical guffaw I've been hearing about the film being boring, I can safely say it is anything but, if you're not someone who despises having to think about a film as you watch it. \nDan Brown's original novel was suspenseful and intriguing, if ungracefully written and starkly unpoetic. The novel, however, was a page-turner. The story begins with the elderly curator Jacques Sauniere racing through the Louvre museum in Paris, attempting to evade a murderer. When he is shot, he has just enough time to construct a labyrinthine message to his granddaughter Sophie and Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon. The clues lead to a scavenger/treasure Holy Grail hunt that has them trotting from Swiss banks, to mansions of old professors, to ancient churches in Great Britain. \nAs Robert Langdon, Tom Hanks was direly miscast. He is perpetually confused and never seems comfortable with the dialogue. Conversely, Audrey Tataou is perfectly cast as Cryptologist Sophie Neveu. She is compelling, \nintelligent and delivers her performance with the right mixture of awe and poise. Perhaps the best performance is delivered by Ian McKellen as the old English professor, Leigh Teabing, who brings to the character the right blend of austereness and an over-the-top zealotry worthy of Monty Python. Supporting cast include Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina and the ever-sublime and underappreciated Jean Reno as Inspector Bezu Fache. \nRon Howard has done an excellent job bringing the novel to the screen. The film is flawed, but not in any crucial way. And if you're compelled by any of the naysayers to stay away, maybe rent "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" instead, still the best Grail film ever made.
\n--Olivia Morales
