You’d think director Ron Howard would remember that film is supposed to be a visual medium, but the inert Code has less dynamic content than a Sunday-school filmstrip.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
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Reviews Counted:217
Fresh:52
Rotten:165
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: What makes Dan Brown's novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content
Runtime: 2 hrs 54 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:May 19, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $217,536,138
Synopsis: Dan Brown's best-selling book THE DA VINCI CODE gets adapted for the big screen thanks to director Ron Howard (CINDERELLA MAN), who helms this big budget production. Veteran actor Tom Hanks stars... Dan Brown's best-selling book THE DA VINCI CODE gets adapted for the big screen thanks to director Ron Howard (CINDERELLA MAN), who helms this big budget production. Veteran actor Tom Hanks stars as professor Robert Langdon, whose Parisian lecture tour on feminine symbolism gets disrupted when he's implicated in a murder at the Louvre. Co-starring with Hanks is Audrey Tautou (AMELIE), the French police analyst who comes to Langdon's aid and who may hold the key to some of the mysteries. The cast is fleshed out by Jean Reno as a hangdog French detective who thinks he can trick Langdon into a confession; Paul Bettany as Silas, the murderous monk; Alfred Molina as an evil Catholic cardinal; and Ian McKellen, who steals the movie in the second act as a crotchety old authority on the Holy Grail. During the course of the film, all sorts of riddles, keys, clues, and enigmas are thrown in our hero's path, along with bullets, knives, and devious betrayals. Cinematographer Salvatore Toltino shoots in a dark and somber style, with lots of detailed flashbacks to grim scenes from ancient Rome, the Crusades, and the witch hunts of the Middle Ages. Tautou looks gorgeous in the perpetual dim light, as does the ancient French and British architecture. With so many centuries of hidden knowledge, cults, sects, and Christianity-shattering secrets involved, this may have been confusing to those not acquainted with the book, but Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman ingeniously weave the myriad layers into a true thrill ride. Ultimately, THE DA VINCI CODE is a thoughtful action film, with a refreshingly clear-eyed approach to world history that may scandalize the close-minded, but is sure to enlighten those open to new ideas. [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany, Jürgen Prochnow
Director: Ron Howard
Director: Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Akiva Goldsman
Producer: John Calley, Brian Grazer
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Release:
Apr 28, 2009
Blu-ray Disc Features:
- 2-Disc Set
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
- Dolby True HD 5.1 - English
- Dubbed - French, Canadian
- Subtitles - English SDH, French
Interactive Features:
BDLive:
- 1. BD Live Enabled
Disc 1:
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary: NEW Select Scenes Commentary Ron Howard, Director
Disc 2:
Additional Release Material:
Featurette:
- 1. Include First Day On The Set with Ron Howard
- 2. A Discussion With Dan Brown
- 3. A Portrait of Langdon
- 4. Who Is Sophie Neveu?
- 5. Unusual Suspects
- 6. Magical Places
- 7. Close-up on Mona Lisa
- 8. The Filmmakers' Journey
- 9. The Codes of The Da Vinci Code
- 10. The Music of The Da Vinci Code
- 11. Book To Screen
- 12. The Da Vinci Props
- 13. The Da Vinci Sets
- 14. Re-creating Works of Art
- 15. The Visual Effects World of The Da Vinci Code
- 16. Scoring The Da Vinci Code
- 17. La Partie Francaise Du Da Vinci Code
Interactive Features:
- Unlocking the Code Interactive Picture-In-Picture (I-PIP)
Reviews for The Da Vinci Code
...only occasionally reaches the level of uninspired competence and almost never soars above.
Un thriller menor que probablemente aburrirá a quienes hayan leído la novela y aturdirá con su confusa trama a quienes no sepan nada de la historia.
On its own cinematic terms, it's a moderately entertaining ride, sort of like the Nicolas Cage hit National Treasure only done with more style and a more respectable cast.
I never found it dull. It's often preposterous -- yes, a fast-driving psychotic albino monk would be my first choice for an inconspicuous assassin -- but rarely boring.
If only it were allowed to be merely a cheesy romp, an Indy Jones movie with more sophisticated stereotypes and far less humor. But apparently this is no mere pop novel-turned-high-hat megaplex product.
What's wrong with The Da Vinci Code can be summed up in one word: everything!
I won’t go so far as to recommend it, and I can’t imagine ever wanting to see it again.
Hanks' Harvard symbologist alter ego is about as bland as a bowl of cold oatmeal, but it's not his fault %u2013 he's given less dialogue to work with than a Cirque de Soleil mime.
The Da Vinci Code is baloney, but as a film, I have to admit that it's entertaining baloney.
Indeed, everything about The Da Vinci Code is insular and insipid. Somewhere inside this creaky, crappy film is a real adventure romp waiting to be revealed.
The Catholic Church has nothing to fear from this film. It is not just tripe. It is self-evident, spirit-lowering tripe that could not conceivably cause a single member of the flock to turn aside from the faith.
The Da Vinci Code is Exhibit A in how things that work on the page don’t always translate on-screen.
That the film was released during the summer blockbuster movie season should give audiences a solid idea of what to expect--a glossy movie first, a provocative hypothesis on the roots of Christianity second.
Latest News for The Da Vinci Code
April 21, 2009:
Columbia Awaits Third Da Vinci Code Installment ![]()
Even as it gears up to promote the next installment in its "Da Vinci Code" franchise, "Angels and Demons," Columbia Pictures is making preparations for an adaptation of the next... More...
February 04, 2009:
Exclusive: Inside Pinewood/Shepperton - A Photo Tour
Every year, the BAFTA film awards present a trophy for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Introduced in 1978, the award recognises an organisation or a person's career... More...
October 03, 2008:
Further Reading: Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker in Abel Ferrara's Mary
As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...
April 24, 2008:
Angels & Demons Lands Female Lead ![]()
Ayelet Zurer has been cast opposite Tom Hanks in the Da Vinci Code prequel, Angels & Demons. More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
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