The Da Vinci Code, the film

No fun whatsoever

THE DA VINCI CODE Director Ron Howard Cert. 12A

‘Seek the truth’ is the strapline of The Da Vinci Code film. Amazingly, many people will think they have found truth in the celluloid of this movie, despite the fact that the film has been almost universally panned by critics. Mark Kermode, reporting on BBC News 24, said that it was ‘no fun whatsoever’ and that he would be ‘surprised if there was a duller film this year’.

It certainly has no right to be a turkey — £120m of financing from Sony Pictures, key stars such as Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno and Paul Bettany, and a well regarded director, Ron Howard. But the truth is that the film is nowhere near as exciting to watch as you may have thought it would be.

Little is made of the fascinating backdrops — the Louvre, Paris, London and Rosslyn Chapel (the latter benefiting from the film’s one ‘fly by’ shot). The acting is a step up from Holly-wooden, but not much of a step. The film is rated 12A mainly for the scenes of self-flagellation undertaken by the Opus Dei albino monk, but, on the whole, the film is thankfully free of scenes of a sexual nature or bad language.