Dr. DVD

Just finished the book last night. I started reading it about two years ago when it was only available as a basic hardcover and really couldn't get into it. Recently I sold my hardcover and got the illustrated paperback, which helped my understanding and reading element immensely.
However, that does not change the opinion I formed when I first tried to read it a few years back: it reads like a novel that was written by a pulp writer who hoped if he wrote something provactive enough, it would sell millions and get made into a movie. In short, like a lot of today's commercial fiction seems, it reads more like a screenplay adaptation/novelization than anything else.
In terms of the plot, I found the story entertaining, but I didn't feel like I had read anything groundbreaking. I thought it was a slightly above average book and that the material would make an average movie at best. I will still go and see the movie, but it will now be more due to it being another summer release for another weekend as opposed to seeing something utterly intriguing.
FWIW, I find it interesting that they placed several spoilerish plot points in the trailer.
All in all, I think any problems I or anyone will have with this movie will most likely be traceable to the source material. FWIW, I think that sometimes "pulp fiction," as seems to be the more appropriate identification, is best left as a book.

On a side note, I find it interesting that Ian McKellan will be in this movie this weekend, then in another one next weekend. I think he is a great actor and I am acounting on him to elevate the material a bit, as he often does. Knowing he was playing Teabing had me chuckle when in the book he says:" I am not part of any brotherood," as I immediately pictured him standing with Pyro and Juggernaut. Having the two of them chase Sophie and Langdon would be a treat!

baracine

Hmmm... Reminds me of Roger Ebert's review. He hated the book (he hates most books) but he liked the movie because it reminded him of a well-crafted graphic novel (a.k.a. comic book), which he can relate to...

P.S.: Ian McKellen is also reprising the voice of the wizard Zebedee in "Dougal" out on DVD this week. (He did that voice in the British version as well.)

Mad Dawg

I agree with you. I think there has been a big misunderstanding in regards to the novel. It certainly challenges the New Testament, and primarily the Church's role in developing and protecting its version of modern Christianity, but I don't think it is anti-religious at all.

I did enjoy the book despite its flaws, and I'm still going to see the movie to judge for myself. But I won't be surprised if it isn't great, since I think a faithful adaptation of the novel would be tough to make into an entertaining summer movie.

Mr. Cinema

I still plan to see DaVinci Code this weekend, but when every negative review uses the word "dull" to describe the movie, it kinda lowers my expectations. I hope they're wrong.

Josh H

Despite reviews, 'Da Vinci' should be big
Box office watchers expect film to have $50 million-plus weekend

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- First reviews for "The Da Vinci Code" may be mostly scathing, but box office experts say they expect the Mona Lisa to keep smiling all the way to the bank this weekend.

The experts say the religious-themed thriller can expect to haul in between $50 million and $80 million, when it opens domestically Friday -- more than enough to compensate for the laughter, jeers and sneers it received when shown to critics at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Tuesday.

Print reviews of the movie version of the world's biggest-selling novel were also less than kind.

Daily Variety critic Todd McCarthy said, "Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldman have drained all the fun out of the melodrama, leaving ... an oppressive talky film that is as close to dull as one could imagine with such provocative material."

The Hollywood Reporter's critic, Kirk Honeycutt, complained the film "never rises to the level of a guilty pleasure. Too much guilt. Not enough pleasure."

In early reviews, only Lou Lumenick of the New York Post cheered, "'The Da Vinci Code' is the Holy Grail of summer blockbusters: a crackling, fast-moving thriller that's every bit as brainy and irresistible as Dan Brown's controversial bestseller."

Movie ticketing service Fandango said the film was accounting for 78 percent of all the agency's advance sales, and 88 percent of those buying tickets said they had read the book, which has sold more than 40 million copies.

The service also reported that 74 percent of those buying tickets said their religious beliefs did not affect their decision. The book has come under criticism from religious groups who object to its premise that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a child together.

By comparison, advance ticket purchases for DreamWorks Animation Studio's "Over the Hedge," also opening Friday, accounted for 4 percent of sales.

Box office watcher Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Inc., said the bad reviews may help the box office, at least in the short term.

"It means people are talking about this movie, and you have to remember that there is often a disconnect between critics and audiences. What will really count for this film is word of mouth, and that will not make itself felt until the second or third weekend," he said.

He said he would expect that the film would make about $50 million in its opening weekend.

Chad Hartigan, box office analyst for Reel Source said he expected the film to do between $60 million and $80 million in its first weekend, helped in no small part by the public's awareness of the novel.

"Our office saw the film and thought it was great. The general public will be more forgiving than the mainstream critics," he said.

MovieTickets.com said "The Da Vinci Code" was tracking very high in advance of its weekend opener and had 10 times more tickets sold than "Mission: Impossible III" during the same time in its sales cycle.

The Tom Cruise action film, the first of the summer's big-budget movies, opened two weeks ago to a disappointing weekend gross of just under $48 million.

Brandon Gray of Boxofficemojo.com said he thought "The Da Vinci Code" would gross about $70 million in its first three days. "It has real audience interest and a real fan base," he said.

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Mr. Cinema

Most of my local theaters have this playing on 4 screens, so it'll be readily available around here. Many of the first showings are starting at 11:30 am as well.

Tarantino

baracine...the same person who showed his mug in the History Of Violence movie thread going nuts about glorifying violence...give me a break.

As for DaVinci Code...I wasn't planning on seeing it in theaters...you don't need a code to figure out why it sucks...

= J

Giles

clever...

tdilia

I enjoyed the book, so I will see the movie despite what critics say. Most critics wouldn't know a good movie if it came up and bit them in the ass. Besides the reveiws are coming from Cannes, what do they know. I am not going to trust an opinion from the same people who raved about Fahrenheit 9/11, and what a great movie it was.

ScandalUMD

I don't really think it's fair to attribute Ebert's preference for the movie over the book to anti-intellectualism. Dan Brown writes horrible prose, and the way he describes things is often so clumsy and absurd that it tears you out of a narrative that already taxes the human capacity to suspend disbelief.

grip

I think you mean to have Emily Litella saying "Nevermind".



We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread....already in progress.

MoviePage

Thought the book was completely predictable and very poorly written. Entirely unexcited about the movie, but will see it this weekend for 3 reasons:

1. Ian McKellen is never anything less than awesome.
2. The scenery.
3. The hope that a gigantic opening weekend will send the protesters a message.

Peep

How does affect the quality of the film? I went to ABM expecting a good film - not an historically accurate one.

baracine

Thanks, grip. I couldn't find that mugshot. And I was thinking of Rosanne Rossana-Dana. [Obnoxious note here: The "Emily Latella" spelling is immensely more popular on Google.]



It just dawned on me that there is another factor that might play against DVC's box office, which I would call the "hypophobia" factor, which is the reaction of disgust, mostly from people who haven't read the book and have no intention of reading it, to the hype surrounding the DVC phenomenon.

I have three brothers, two of which read the book like myself. The older brother read it as an amusing thriller and has no intention of seeing the film. The second brother read it because he was curious about all the hype and feels nothing but pity for the poor fools who really believe the facts behing the premise since some of those facts have been disproved. He will not see the film. My third brother never reads fiction and really gets pissed off at any mention of the book by friends and acquaintances. He considers any remote interest in the subject a sure sign of mental retardation and will not see the film. I read the book because I had been researching the story, off and on, for twenty years and I was really intrigued by its treatment as a successful thriller. I was iffy about seeing the film but I will probably give in because it promises to be "atmospheric", which is very rare in American films these days.

But I notice a kind of "Is that all there is?" reaction in Canadian critics who haven't read the book to the premise of the story. They seem to think that after all the hype and hysteria, the film should cure cancer, or at least remove warts...

baracine

Fair enough, but since the film was presented as the factual biography of John Nash, a living individual who won the 1994 Nobel Prize for Mathematics, when it was in fact more fanciful than any MGM musical biopic, it should at least have come with a disclaimer - or a written apology.

baracine

If you define fiction as a narrative that has the ability to sustain attention, then Dan Brown's book is a work of genius, which the film may or may not be (the jury is still out).

SonOfAStu

Well, I saw this last night at a sneak preview in Pittsburgh (won tickets on the radio - WooHoo!). I read the book last weekend, which was probably a mistake. Everything was too fresh in my mind so I was being the typical "book snob" and pointing out every last thing that was changed. My buddy I went with, on the other hand, read the book a couple of years ago and he said he didn't think they could have followed it any closer.

Some changes I noticed (not all):



I definitely agree with a lot of the critics on this one. It was pretty much a stinker. The only bright spot for me was McKellan, and not even his whole performance was good. He provided a good deal of comic relief though that I don't remember from the book.

I'd give it 2 stars. It's worth seeing if you enjoyed the book, but not worth paying theatre prices for. If you didn't read the book, good luck keeping up.

raven56706

ouch... only 18% in rottentomatoes..... looks like we have the stinker of the season.... even Poseidon had 28% in rottentomatoes....

Looks like XMEN and Superman now have the chance to take the glory this year...

Mr. Cinema

Don't forget Pirates 2.

raven56706

oh yeah... and pirates 2...Not sure if World Trade Center will be big.... Feel bad for Tom and Ron.....

baracine

By the way, for future reference, here's everything anyone needs to know about the book, including more spoilers than you can fit in a standard Hollywood trailer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code and a list of everything Dan Brown got wrong : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critici..._Da_Vinci_Code

Link_182

I knew this was gonna be mauled by the critics. Too much hype. Just like the book. When it came out, everyone was saying what a good book it was. When it really started to get the hype, there was so much complaining. I can't make an astute evaluation until I see it later tonight but I doubt it's as bad as their saying.

JayDerek

I agree.

With all the hype the book got...people started to backlash. Same with this movie.

It just would be nice to get a review that's not biased by someone's religion

~Jason

Artman

Stu 17

100+ reviews on rotten tomatoes and ALL of them are biased by the writers religion?