Some books do not lend themselves easily to film-making. The Da Vinci Code is one of them. The book is fast-paced with short chapters, multiple characters and various sub-plots. Naturally, all this can’t be replicated in a film (a television series would, perhaps, have done justice to the book.)
As far as the film is concerned, on a purely standalone basis it succeeds in telling the story that Dan Brown puts forth in his bestseller. Those who have not read the book will not be able to appreciate the subtleties of the story and the forces that drive the characters. However, they will still enjoy the movie. And those who have read the book will be disappointed because the film leaves out a lot of stuff that is important in the book.
Where the film succeeds
-Telling the essence of the story the way Dan Brown did
-Keeping the action fast-paced and engaging
-Keeping the dialogues distinctive and well-crafted for each character
Where the film fails
-Capturing the underlying sub-plots and intrigue as mentioned in the book
-Fleshing out the character of Robert Langdon (actually, even the book fails to do this)
I, personally, had problems with the casting. While Sophie Noveau and Leigh Teabing are well chosen, the choice of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon is all wrong.
Overall, I’d say that if you liked the book, you’ll like the movie too, but you will experience a vague sense of disappointment as you leave the movie hall.