

Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany

The official website
see
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode/

My thoughts ...

-- Well, i guess i may be one of the rare few who choose to watch the film before reading the book (ALTHOUGH i have bought the book when it was first launched in US, and way before all the media hype and controversy) ... The reason is: Initially, I was so busy that I had no time to read it ... and finally, when I had the time, I heard that it was going to be made into a film ... because I wish to evaluate the film as it is and not try to compare the two media, I procrastinated reading till after watching the film ...

-- And guess what's my verdict ... 

(i) I feel that the film is watchable as a commercial film (i.e., not as horrible as some critics pen it), BUT I have to qualify that I am NOT blown away by it at all ... it is just another typical (to slightly above average) COMMERICAL film ... the film has some moments/cinematography/choreography/art direction that really look like "A Beautiful Mind" (what to do: the same director) ... it also has some scenes that may need inferences or prior knowledge from reading the book (e.g., in the flashback, how Silas escaped is unclear) ...

(ii) When I read the book immediately after the film, I have to admit that the book is really a PAGE TURNER ... wow ... a lot of humor and interesting discussion have been lost in the film ... (unfortunately, in the film, only Leigh came across as humorous) ... also, a lot of thoughts/motivation have been lost in the film (but that is understandable because thoughts/motivation are hard to capture)

(iii) While I do not mind 2.5 hrs of screen time (cos I am used to it), I thought the screenplay could be vastly improved ... although it was kind of faithful to the "overall" plot, there are some scenes that are kind of slow/draggy (could be edited out); instead, the script writer could have added in some portions of the book which have been omitted, to make it more compelling ...

-- In terms of casting ... wow ... Ian McKellen (Leigh) and Paul Bettany (Silas) stole the show ... the two leads (while being credible actors in OTHER films) did not actually shine nor have much chemistry ... sigh ... in fact, when I first heard that Tom Hanks was cast as Robert, I did tell some of my US friends that I would rather have "unknowns" (even though Tom Hanks is well liked by many, cf. Julia Roberts). I told them that a less known actor might make it easier for him to "jump out" of any preconceived mindset ... in sum, just go watch for the performance of Leigh and Silas ...

Conclusion
-- Can watch (as a commercial film), but could be much better ... the performance by Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany is great ... if you think you like the film, I have to admit that the book is MUCH better ...