Production Year: 2006 - Thriller - Director: Ron Howard, Ronald Howard - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno more
Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, FORREST GUMP) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou, AMELIE) set out to uncover the truth about The Holy Grail, encountering a mysterious... more
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...
selected original 35mm film from The Da Vinci Code. The collection has a black mount with black frame, an individually numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity.
Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code, directed ... more
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.
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
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A review by IzzyS on The Da Vinci Code (DVD) September 21st, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Indifferent to it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Satisfactory
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Unmemorable
Advantages:
Good mix of drama/action/suspense and plot explanation, entertaining enough to keep you watching
Disadvantages:
Not for the squeamish, subject may offend or bore, may seem far - fetched, subtitles
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
- Introduction -
I'd imagine most people will have heard of The Da Vinci Code, whether that be the original Dan Brown novel or this, the Hollywood movie based on the novel. I got this movie on official DVD along with some others from a relative last year and although I had passed it on to my parents to watch last year sometime, I hadn't watched it myself and it sat in my DVD tower for some time, until I finally decided I just had to watch it recently lol. I was put off watching it on a Saturday night due to the long running time (nearly two and a half hours), since I prefer to watch a movie, if I do on a Saturday night, between 9-11pm so it would overrun that but anyway I I finally sat down and watched it last night. I hadn't read the novel, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, other than that the story had alot to do with Christianity and the Bible I believed. I wasn't sure how entertaining it might be but that turned out not to be such an issue. If you want to find out more, read on...
- Main Credits (non-actors, which are mentioned further on in the review) - Source:- IMDB (see:- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/fullcredits)
Director - Ron Howard Writers - Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Dan Brown (Novel) Producers - John Calley, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard Associate Producers - Kathleen McGill, Louisa Velis Executive Producers - Dan Brown, Todd Hallowell Cinematography - Salvatore Totino
- Story (incl. some of the acting cast) -
The movie starts with a man trying to steal a painting, who gets caught by somebody else that makes him admit something and then shoots the burgular.
Next we're shown Doctor Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks) giving a talk on interpreting symbols. He learns, after this talk, that this man has been killed and Captain Bezu Fache (played by Jean Reno) asks for Roberts help.
When Robert visits the crime scene, he realises that there is alot more to this than meets the eye and along with cryptologist Sophie Neveu (played by Audrey Tautou), they set out to follow riddles they find which point towards an old myth being true, which could have devastating consequences.
What is it and who would suffer the consequences? and is it true? well you'll have to watch the movie to find out, of course.
- Genre/Themes -
This is a drama/suspense movie with a strong focus on old religious folklore and conspiracy theory.
- Thoughts/Opinions/Extra Information -
For a start, this is note a movie for the particularly squeamish, as there is flagellation shown (someone inflicts pain through whipping etc. on themselves), even in the beginning of the movie, which I did find quie off-putting, although I was aware such scenes would be present as it was noted on the back of the DVD box. There aren't too many of such scenes but they were still very much 'look away moments' to me.
The movie has a very dark feel to it, obviously with the story based alot on religion and a sort of 'deep dark past' sense and with folklore and conspiracy theory aspects featuring. This is a movie I imagine those interested in conspiracy theories (esp. those relating to the Bible and/or Christ) would enjoy. Like I say, most people will have heard of the novel by Dan Brown, which was a best seller a few years ago, though I haven't read it myself, so I can't comment on how similar the movie is to the novel.
The movie, though it may sound a bit stuffy, subject-wise, it does feature some decent action in it, in terms of a few car chase senses and other scenes where Robert and Sophie are on the run. There's a particularly good one of Sophie reversing along French streets in a Smart car, which is pretty hair raising!.
Along with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, Sir Ian McKellen (possibly more well known for his appearance in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) also appears in the movie as a rich man who is a real fanatic on the Holy Grail. Other actors in this movie include Alfred Molina and Paul Bettany.
In the movie, there are flashback scenes, showing a characters past and from Bible scenes, which are drained of alot of colour and have an 'aged' look about them and in that way, they are quite atmospheric, I suppose.
Also be aware of the fact that there are quite alot of subtitles, French subtitles to be exact, as the movie is set, at the start, in France (and the Captain who is always trying to track Robert and Sophie down, is, of course, French), so this might put some put some off watching it.
I would also say that, incase this isn't already clear, the story is quite complicated, as well as fast paced, so you have to pay close attention to the movie, to whats said (ie the dialogue) as well as to the subtitles, to properly follow it, so with a running time of just over two hours and twenty minutes, its neither the shortest movie nor the easiest one to follow.
As far as the cast are concerned, I thought that generally the performances given were pretty good. There was something about Tom Hanks' performances in this role which I felt was a bit 'off' though. It almost seemed as if he was in a role that was a bit too much for him and he was perhaps struggling a bit. I know that the character would seem as if he's struggling, given the plot and what goes on but I couldn't help but feel as if there was something slightly amiss with his performance somehow and considering I generally only ever say that performances are good, I thought I might as well mention this here, to prove im not too biased when commenting about actors performances, so make of that what you will!.
I also felt that Audrey Tautou gave a particularly good performance and Sir Ian McKellen was also quite convincing in his role and played the somewhat stereotyped English religious, or religious conspiracy theory, fanatic quite well too. Paul Bettany as Silas was really quite spooky too, I think thats about the only word I can think to use for that character!.
- Certificate -
The Da Vinci Code is rated 12 in the UK due mainly to the scenes of flagellation (which I mentioned above and although there aren't many such scenes, they did put me off quite a bit and at the time I wondered if a 15 certificate perhaps wouldn't have been more appropriate... I think had there been anymore such scenes, or if it were at all more frequent, it would have to be at least a 15 certificate but as it is, there's only a couple of such graphic scenes).
I don't remember there being any particularly foul language used but there is some other mild to moderate violence and nudity/sexual content.
- Official Website -
The official webiste for the movie can be found here:- http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thedavincicode/index.html Here you can buy the 2-disc DVD or other items (a gift set and PSP version/format of the movie). You can also find information about the movie, a photo gallery, some video clips and information on the special features that can be found on the DVD.
Yes again this is a Flash Player 9 based site, so check you have an up to date version of Flash installed before loading the website.
- Conclusions -
This is a somewhat interesting, although quite 'heavy' in plot and even dark in a way, movie. Its quite complicated but if its something that interests you, then it may be worth renting or catching on pay per view at most. I'm not sure whether to recommend it or not, I haven't read the book like I've said already but I did think there were a couple of decent performances and if your really interested in the subject matter, it may interest you more than it did me, so I'll say yes but give it an overall lower rating, if that makes sense... also I don't feel that I will want to watch it again, now that I've seen it.
There is action, with car chase scenes and there are some plot twists to keep you interested enough to keep watching but the subject matter might well put people off, for either seeming rather uninteresting, boring or dry, or for those who are particularly religious, for instance Catholics, they would likely be quite offended by what is implied or what is supposedly discovered in this movie, I'd presume (although it is, obviously, fictional, right?!).
Others might feel its just too far fetched, so, its certainly in no means 'perfect' but I think, all things considered, that it works fairly well for the kind of movie it is. It has enough action alongside the story, to keep the viewer watching and there are some good performances from a pretty decent cast, so while im aware of the disadvantages and advantages, I've decided to rate this overall as satisfactory, 3 out of 5.
I hope that this review is useful and thanks, as always, for reading!
Advantages: I suppose it would save you reading the novel Disadvantages: It's utter crap
...Langdon is called in when the curator of the Louvre is found dead in the museum, covered in mysterious sigils. But Langdon soon finds himself framed for the murder and on the run with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu. They are quickly embroiled in a conspiracy far larger than they could ever have imagined; one that could threaten the tenets of Christian belief. But powerful people are determined that the secret remains just that and they are willing ... ...with "The Da Vinci Code". The film takes itself too seriously throughout, which is odd considering the source material is nothing more than an airport/beach novel struck lucky. Had the movie a little more razzle-dazzle or a sense of its own worth as disposable entertainment, it would have fared far better. Unfortunately it is rendered an exceptionally tedious, overlong potboiler by stolid direction. Howard is utterly beholden to the very letter of ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Pretty close to the book Disadvantages: Predictable (especially if you have read the book!)
Sorry for the naff title but I had to get this in because of the Director Ron Howard (who starred in Happy Days for those younger members of Ciao who have never heard of him). After reading Dan Brown's book (which I have reviewed separately) which was the inspiration for this film, I just had to get my grubby little paws on the DVD. I was that eager to watch it that, the day the DVD was released, I was at the NAAFI the minute it opened and stood ... ...from the stockroom (they were just in and hadn't quite got round to putting the DVD's on the shelves!). Not that I was desperate to see Tom Hanks in action as Robert Langdon - oh no! I wanted to see how true to the book this film was going to be, as the majority of "book to film" adaptations I have seen have had quite a lot of "artistic licence" used to make the film more marketable.
I paid 24.99 Euros for this 2-disc set which equates to around ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: good acting, impressive effects, interesting concept Disadvantages: poor scripting, it is just not that good
The Da Vinci Code; 2006; Directed by Ron Howard; Rated 12
Anyone who has heard me speak of The Da Vinci Code will know my opinion on it; an opinion I stand by having seen the movie. This is a fabulous story, brimming with intrigue, scandal and almost managing to pass itself off as fact. The big disappointment is that it was not written very well at all. Now, no disrespect to Dan Brown, he has made an awful lot of money off these books and got his ... ...Anyway, my major gripe with the books was that they read like movies; The Da Vinci Code inparticular. He obviously wrote this with the sole purpose of selling it as a film in later years and from reading the book, you are left thinking, by god this will be a FANTASTIC film. It had real potential.... Had...
Sadly though, the Da Vinci Code movie, simply fails to deliver. It misses the "Awesome" mark so widely that it doesn't even graze the target ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Decent cast and director Disadvantages: Too many changes and omissions from the original book
The Da Vinci Code seems to have been the biggest phenomenon in the world for the last couple of years. Dan Brown's book appeared out of nowhere and seemed to become an overnight success. Then there was the movie, released earlier this year on Cinema audiences to an enormous amount of hype. It seemed to be targeted at everyone, people who couldn't be bothered to read the book and a chance for those that had to see how it translated to the big screen. ... ...quite keen to see how the Da Vinci Code transferred to the movie format.
When the curator of the Louvre gallery in Paris is murdered the police are keen to question Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) about the discovery of the body. While Bezu Fasche (Jean Reno) is interrogating him, Langdon discovers he is infact the one and only suspect and Fasche is trying to get a confession from him. Assisted by a French police cryptographer, Langdon manages to get ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Paul Bettany and Sir Ian McKellen Disadvantages: Poor editing, feels rushed etc.
The DaVinci Code.
Dan Brown's multimillion best selling story about Jesus and The Holy Grail has finally been tailored for the big screen and now recently on DVD for the small screen, following in the tradition of many other adaptations such as The Godfather, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter etc. Will The DaVinci Code be as good a movie as it was a book or will it just attempt to be a money making picture with no regard for quality or the book's ... ...murder investigation when the curator of The Louvre, Jacques Sauniere is found dead with his body contorted in an extremely curious position. After trying to discover the reason for his murder, Langdon is warned by a beautiful, intelligent cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) that the chief investigator Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) suspects him and warns that his life is also in danger. After stumbling upon a series of seemingly innocuous clues left ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Once you start watching you cant stop. Disadvantages: Very difficult to get in to but all is revealed
...the whole film and the answers will be revealed, which is why i want to watch it again to understand it a bit more, as there are so many facts to take in and there are lots of twists and turns to the story and it keeps you guessing until near the end.
I will not pretend that i know the ins and outs of the davincicode i dont think any one really does because you will never know what is true or false but this is a fasinating insight to know not everything you were taught as a youngster is not actually the truth. The film does reveal an awful lot of facts which are true, and you dont really need any knowledge of the holy grail as a lot will be explained.
I have not read the book so i cannot compare but by all accounts it goes into much more detail so that is now on my things to do.
This is a 12 rated DVD and runs for approx 2hrs 22...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...If I am being honest, after reading the book, I really do not know why i even bothered to buy the DVD. The acting is not the greatest bearing in mind the actors involved with the film, Tom Hanks has so much more to give than he offers in this film. The story is only very losely based on the book - in that they have missed large chunks out and so you jump from one scene to the next with no real explanation. It's a shame that the film does not show more the old churches of Rome as the book discribes, or go into more detail again the secret archives of the Vatican, which would have been of much interest. An easy film to watch as you really do not need to concentrate that much, I would however recommend that the you read the book rather than watch the film....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Serious audience participation, very thrilling and exhillarating. Disadvantages: non that I can think of.
...enhances the effect of the film and thrill received from watching it.
To sum up, the acting in the film is exceptional and the film would really struggle without it. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the performances.
^^^Film Summary^^^
The film is a really exhilarating experience and I am sure you will enjoy trying to unravel the tightly bound secrets and mysteries throughout the film. I wonder, can you solve the DaVinciCode before Langdon and Neveu? Definitely worth a look and at such cheap prices these days, why not add it to your collection?
^^^DVD Package^^^
The DVD is well presented and the front cover is to be honest a little corny, with Langdon and Neveu looking curiously in the same pose and direction. Although a nice touch to the cover is that the background is made up of lots of numbers and letters representing...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Consumer Advice: Contains flagelation and other moderate violence
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: Symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu set out to uncover the truth about The Holy Grail, encountering a mysterious ancient society on the way.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Subtitle Language: Dutch, Hindi, Czech, Italian, English
Hearing Impaired Language: English
DVD Description
Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, FORREST GUMP) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou, AMELIE) set out to uncover the truth about The Holy Grail, encountering a mysterious ancient society on the way. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is on business in Paris when he is called to the Louvre, where a curator he was due to meet has been murdered. There he meets police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, the granddaughter of the murdered curator. A number of symbols and riddles have been found at the murder scene and the duo set about solving the complex mystery. However, Bezu Fache (Jean Reno, LEON)--the police officer in charge of the investigation--believes that Langdon is implicated in the killing. This leads to Langdon being chased by the French police as he attempts to solve the mystery by following secret clues found in the works of artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Langdon and Neveu escape to England to continue their search for clues in the mystery that has the possibility to upset the very foundations of Christianity, a search that brings them into conflict with Catholic organisation Opus Dei and their dangerous monk Silas (Paul Bettany, GANGSTER NO. 1). Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (I, ROBOT) manages to transform Dan Brown's tremendously successful novel into a thrilling and fast paced script that is expertly directed by Ron Howard (APOLLO 13). The film was the target of criticism by the Roman Catholic Church but this didn't stop THE DA VINCI CODE becoming a worldwide smash hit.
Technical information
Special Features: First day on the set with Ron Howard, A discussion with Dan Brown, A portrait of Langdon, Who is Sophie Neveu
Aspect Ratio: 2.40 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Czech English Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian
Professional reviews
Review: Two thumbs up (Ebert & Roeper, 18/09/2006)
Ron Howard's splendid 'The Da Vinci Code' is the Holy Grail of Blockbusters (New York Post, 18/09/2006)
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