Sir Leigh Teabing was also one of the richest characters in the book. Of course, Sir Ian McKellan, with the juiciest role of Holy Grail scholar Sir Leigh Teabing, chews up the scenery every time he's shown on screen. But once again, whoever read the book will remember that both of these characters weren't that dynamic on the written page, either.
Critics have also found fault with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou's portrayals of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu (respectively), saying that they delivered flat performances. And in the book, it was absolutely engrossing! So, I personally didn't mind all of the explanation of history, symbols, etc.
You won't mind what many critics have called "overly-long exposition" and historical flashbacks, because that's pretty much what the book consisted of. If you're like me and you loved the book and you like the artistic team that pursued making it into a movie, then you'll most likely come out satisfied. All of this proved to be a winning formula for me, apparently. Having said that, I went in prepared to like this movie, even though I had somewhat lowered my expectations based on the barrage of bad reviews. I also happen to be a big fan of Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, and Ian McKellan. Additionally, I'm not religious, although I was definitely familiar with Christian historical icons such as Jesus, John the Baptist, and Mary Magdelene before I read the book. I loved the history, the speculation, the riddles and puzzles, and the masterful blend of fact and fiction. I read the book and I LOVED it couldn't put it down. And as the credits rolled at the end of the movie, I felt increasingly unsettled not because of the quality of the movie, but because one question lingered in my head: What's not to like? Am I crazy for actually being entertained by what I just saw? How could the critics pan what I, and those around me, seemed to enjoy? Okay, so that's more than one question. Since I'm not a slave to snobby film reviewers, I went to go see it for myself despite the negative hype.
#WATCH THE DA VINCI CODE ONLINE FREE MOVIE#
It has been called "plodding," "stale," and "uninspired," thus, dashing the hopes of many movie goers who were hoping to see one of their favorite novels brought to life by one of their favorite directors, and starring one of their favorite actors.
Last Tuesday, when The Da Vinci Code premiered at the Cannes Film festival, it was met with a chilly reception from the reviewing elite.
In their search, Sophie and Robert happen upon evidence that could lead to the final resting place of the Holy Grail, while members of the priory and an underground Catholic society known as Opus Dei give chase, determined to prevent them from sharing their greatest secrets with the world. As Sophie and Robert dig deeper into the case, they discover the victim's involvement in the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members have been privy to forbidden knowledge dating back to the birth of Christianity. Needing help, Sophie calls on Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a leading symbologist from the United States. Hoping to learn the significance of the symbols, police bring in Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a gifted cryptographer who is also the victim's granddaughter. The stately silence of Paris' Louvre museum is broken when one of the gallery's leading curators is found dead on the grounds, with strange symbols carved into his body and left around the spot where he died. Dan Brown's controversial best-selling novel about a powerful secret that's been kept under wraps for thousands of years comes to the screen in this suspense thriller from Director Ron Howard.