The movie:
I read the book before I watched the movie, twice. I compared every moment in the movie with that in the book. I read every damn review I got to read before I walked into PVR Cinemas, and my expectations were are the rock bottom. But when I walked out of the theater I had only one word to all those hard hitting reviews I had read - ’’Unfair’’. Probably because I read the book, but the movie isn’t one to be written off as trash.
For those who havent read the book, lemme brief the story.
Robert Langdon [Tom Hanks] is a professor of ancient symbology. He comes to Paris to give a session on the same and is rudely pulled into a gruesome murder scene. An elderly gentleman- Jacques Sauniere- who was the caretaker of the Louvre museum - Paris, which boasts of many many masterpieces, lay dead in the museum, shot in his stomach. Before his death he strips himself bare, lays himself spread eagled, in the shape of a pentacle star, and draws a pentacle on himself, and writes on the floor with invisible ink - ’’O Draconian Devil, O Lame saint’’. And what makes the Police bring Langdon into the scene? A Postscript written, ’’ Find Langdon. ’’
Sophie Neveu [Audrey Tautou] is a cryptologist in the French Police service happens to be the dead Sauniere’s estranged granddaughter. She recognizes that the postscript was meant for her, and whisks Langdon away from the hands of police. They identify that Saunere was the member of a secret society guarding a secret so strong that if revealed, could shake the roots of all humanity. You would have guessed it- that secret is pointing towards the history of Jesus Christ; and that is why the whole world is against this movie. And that saunere had left Sophie and Langdon clues that would take them to the root of that secret.
The treasure hunt takes Sophie and Langdon to a Swiss bank, a cryptex, a British Knight Leigh Teabing [Ian McKellen], and finally to Britain. They are chased by Silas[Paul Bettany]- An albino, who is guided by Bishop Aringarosa [Alfred Molina] and an unknown Teacher who seem hell bent on getting to the secret befor they do. And not to mention Le Taureau[The bull]- Captain Bezu Fasche [Jean Reno] of the French Police.
What is the bloody secret that would shake the roots of humanity? You can already see the roots of humanity being shaken as the movie is being released, and when you see the movie /read the book, you can feel the roots shaking yourself. Now dont ask me if all this is true. I dont know. All I can say is that if it is entirely fictional, then Dan Brown is the most imaginative [and Steel Balled] fella on the face of earth.
The Cast
Why the hell do you want Tom Hanks in this movie? I mean, the chap is well known to be one of the most capable actors in the world, but not the best looking chap in Hollywood. All the role demands from Tom Hanks is to hold a Poker faced look- then why not get somebody who looks good poker faced? Say George Clooney...
Audrey Tautou- Gosh jeez! She is ravishing. But the best acts in the movie are Silas, Teabing and Aringarosa. Paul Bettany is very good as Silas, but the role didn’t get half the attention it could have got. Alternately Angelic and Ghostly, Silas is my favourite character in the book too. He is the only chap you feel for.
Over all, it is unjust to just condemn the movie saying it is too chatty. That is what the novel is too. Most of book happens through Langdon’s brain, and Ron Howard has done a great job to make it much much less chatty than the book. He has done a great job, and I will tell anywhere- this movie is no pushover....