(Caution - contains spoilers if you haven’t read the book or watched the movie – don’t read this it will give away the ending)
Two of my favourite books of all time have to be “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Daemons” by Dan Brown.
There, I’ve said it. I liked the “Da Vinci Code”
“The Da Vinci Code” was one of those popular phenomenons that, because of it’s popularity, became trendy to criticize. There’s always been a certain section of society that believes that criticising something popular makes them more intelligent. It’s almost as if liking a popular movie or book demeans you some how. It’s an arrogant elitism that is based on a need for superiority rather than any degree of artistic appreciation. Dan Brown’s novels aren’t Shakespeare, they’re action thrillers. So why people expect them to be feats of linguistic magnificence is beyond me. It’s like all those people that feel watching action movies are beneath them. It is what it is. This was certainly true of “The Da Vinci Code. Claiming to like the book among certain circles, was committing social suicide.
(Not to say that there are people who genuinely didn’t like the movie or the book. After all, opinion is opinion – a concept that’s also sometimes lost on people)
Anyway I digress (or more appropriately – rant). When I went to see the movie in the cinema I enjoyed it, but was put off by some aspects. Basically I fell victim to the hype. I had built up in my head what my version of the movie would be and with all the furore around the time of its release, I was a little disappointed that the version in my head was not the version that ended up on screen. So, Like many I went away with a little disappointment, feeling that it was a solid movie, but could have been better. Several months later and I was in my local video rental store and here it was on the shelf. I had forgotten it was being released and it actually took me by surprise. As there was not much else out I rented the DVD and took it home to watch.
With all the hype long gone, my preconceptions dissipated, I got a chance to watch the movie for what it was. And it’s a damn good movie. Excellent even. More than just a sense of excitement and danger, the cast really conveyed the humanity of the story, and parts of it were quite moving. Even though it probably was complete fantasy (and the beauty of Dan Brown’s story is the slight possibility of truth in there somewhere) there is something very emotional about the human story of this woman who’s image was persecuted all throughout history and those that protected the secret, thanklessly throughout the ages, without grandeur or glory, but simply because of their love. This is brilliantly summed up by the last scene in the movie where Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) eventually figures out the location of the Grail and kneels at the tomb to, as Teebing had said earlier, pay respects to all those who died fighting injustice and oppression while protecting the grail. There are some superb visual metaphors in the movie too, such as the field of roses Sophie runs through as a child after fighting with her grandfather (The rose being the symbol of the Grail). The music is excellent too. Hanz Zimmer really out did himself, although the musical motifs did bear a striking resemblance to those from “Kingdom of Heaven”.
If you’re like me and enjoyed but weren’t overjoyed with the movie in the cinema, give it a second chance on DVD. It’s worth it. If you haven’t read the book read it, its far more detailed and the ultimate page turner.
And the best part… the short teaser trailer for “Angels and Daemons” at the start of the DVD. If you haven’t read Angels and Daemons, run, don’t walk to your nearest book store and pick it up. It’s even more thrilling and suspenseful than the “Da Vinci Code”
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