Duh Vinci Code

So I finally saw the Da Vinci Code tonight. It was cheap night, so I can be glad that I only spent $5 on it.

It's not that it was a terrible movie, it was just more like "Ehh, this is it? This is what the hype was about?"

Lord knows I'm aware of the difficulties of living up to hype. I've had more than one movie going experience ruined for me because I got to caught up in the hype, or was looking to forward to the movie. But I really had none of those kind of expectations going in. If anything, I had low expectations, because the movie has gotten mostly poor reviews.

Sadly, the movie lived down to them.

And I'll forgive so much. The really, awfully clunky dialogue that is used to explain lengthy plot point. The grand religious conspiracy theories, the very long running time. I'll forgive it because the movie certainly looks pretty. And because Ian McKellan eats up the scenery in a most entertaining fashion.

What I can't forgive is that Tom Hanks looked bored out of his trees the entire movie

Seriously, I like Tom Hanks a lot. Even in roles that I didn't care much for, like Philadelphia, I still respected the fact that he was working hard and giving his best for the part. My favourite part was in Saving Private Ryan. It really is an exceptional piece of acting. Not as showy as Forrest Gump, Philadelphia or Castaway, but there was subtlety and it was heartfelt. I never doubted his passion for the part.

In this, my God, it's the worst thing I've seen him do since the 80s. It's punching the clock acting. It's big paycheck acting. It's not something I ever thought I would see Hanks do again. The only time he woke up were a few of the scenes he had with McKellan.

That was the most disappointing thing about the movie. I don't know where his head was at, but it wasn't in Europe.

Cathy apologized afterwards and tried to explain that the book was much better and they cut tons out. Too much, she felt. "They cut out lots of Lord of the Rings," she said "But I understood why and it was mostly ok. They still managed to leave the heart in the movie. Somewhere in all the cuts they made here, they took out the heart.'

Kind of hard to disagree with that assessment either.