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The Da Vinci Code, the filmNo fun whatsoeverTHE DA VINCI CODE ‘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. From a Christian point of view, all the book’s claims are repeated in a central section where Sir Leigh Teabing (played by Sir Ian McKellan) states his case. It is done more succinctly in the film of course, but this probably accentuates the claims. However, there is a key difference from the book, because Tom Hanks’s character, Robert Langdon, remains fairly agnostic at this stage (even arguing with Teabing) rather than going along with his explanations. Ron Howard announced there was a twist at the end that book readers would be surprised at. Presumably this is Langdon’s admission that he has ‘prayed to Jesus’ and he can’t see why it would matter if Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married, why Jesus can’t be both human and divine (correct) and that to ‘be human is to be divine’ (incorrect, in case you were wondering!). His last claim that ‘what you believe, that is truth’ is full on postmodernism. These late admissions are a good starting point to engage our friends, and engage we must. In the Wikipedia generation in which we live, people get their ‘facts’ from odd places, including the cinema. Your un-believing friends may watch the film. Some, even, are seeking the truth. Why not help them find it? Adrian Reynolds,
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