(Review originally written at 20 October 2006)
Perhaps the most anticipated and talked about movie of 2006, by both positive and bashing negative parties (mostly from religious persons). Controversy had always surrounded this movie and the book it was based on. It's such a shame that some people just can't separate fact from fiction and just take the movie for what it is; good intelligent entertainment. Judging by its style and directing this movie was clearly not made to shock or offend but to purely entertain.
And for the unbiased open minded person this is surely an entertaining movie to watch. It was not as slow or boring is I had heard and expected. The movie is definitely fast paced and features lots of thrilling moments.
The movie its story had definitely enough potential to make this one of the best movies of 2006 but yet it isn't. The story tries to tell too much and often goes to deep into certain aspects which certainly doesn't help to make this movie the most pleasant or easiest one to watch. The story also takes lot for granted and goes to deep with its theories which isn't always good for the realism of the movie. It overall also makes the movie too long which makes it hard to keep interest for its entire duration.
The movie has a good style and quick pace, with some good editing and moody camera-work and a great perfectly suiting Hans Zimmer soundtrack. The directing is also good when for most part but yet you can tell that thriller/mystery just isn't Ron Howard's genre. The movie doesn't always flow well enough. My advice to him would be to just stick to drama's and comedies, were his true talent lies. Guess Howard really wasn't the right guy for this job.
Lots of fine actors are also wasted in the movie. The movie lies its emphasis on the story and therefor too often forgets about its character that become at times a secondary element in the movie. The movie does really lack a solid main character. It's not that Tom Hanks is of course an horrible actor and it's not like he's miscast in the movie, like most people say he is, his character just isn't always likable or understandable enough. Ian McKellen's role is too limited, as he is introduced too late into the movie. So is Jürgen Prochnow in a very small role and Alfred Molina, who's character had way more potential than was eventually used.
Yet the movie remains a perfectly watchable one that is also more entertaining than you'll perhaps would expect. The movie features more than enough interesting and mysterious elements to keep you interest in the story until the end. The story features lots of imaginative and fascinating elements, the book by Dan Brown on which this movie is based is not a world wide success for no reason. Too bad that in the end the movie does not live up to the book it's success or brilliance and it doesn't quite meet expectations.
It's some good intelligent entertainment but it's just not one of those movies people will still talk about in 10 years from now, I would reckon.
7/10
Watch trailer
No comments: