so i saw the da vinci code last night. the book was better (isn't it always?), but all in all, not a bad ride. i think they still got the streets of paris wrong, heh.
best thing about the movie - the cgi effects were pretty cool. some of them seemed over the top, but it the way they did it really re-inforces what people see when they look at various symbols and etc. that should motivate people's brains - hopefully in the direction of symbological research.
most interesting change from the book to the movie - the change in robert langdon's character. movie!robert was a lot less sure of the historical interpretation that says that the RCC deliberately suppressed the sacred feminine and persecuted women in a consistent, persistent, logical manner than the book!robert was. in movie!robert, you see much more of debate over what the facts really mean to the truth. for instance in teabing's study in chateau villet, movie!robert is acting much more as a devil's advocate than book!robert ever did. in fact there wasn't much of danger of getting into an academic debate at all in the book, but there was definately that undertone to that scene in the movie.
what this does in terms of changing story dynamics is interesting. the basic underlying story is the fool's journey (yeah, i'm in love with the re-curring themes found in the tarot deck, why do you ask?). sophie is the fool, and in the book, robert is her guide along the path of wisdom. but in the book, robert is not a protector figure so much. he has a singular purpose - to instruct the fool on the path of wisdom. in the movie, robert becomes more of the knight figure - he's a companion, a protector of the pilgrim on her journey. and while he has some answers, he does not have enough to fully encapsulate the wise man motif.
in this sense, i think you should go and read the book - the book explains much more of the symbology and cryptograms used and how things fit together. it's well worth reading, even if you think it's total bunk. (which is okay, because after all, it's only fiction.)
worst thing about the movie: the reaction of the RCC and the Opus Dei in RL to the portrayal of the movie versions of same. it comes off as the ladies protesting too much.
incidentally, and pursuant to a conversation in ithilien's lj, if you'd like to do more research on the underlying themes of the da vinci code, i recommend starting with holy blood, holy grail. whether or not you think the research is shoddy, or the conclusions are bunk, or get pissed because this book written by men got a lot more attention than similar books written by women, the one thing hbhg has going for it is a printed list of sources in the back. it also lays out the original version of the mystery and why it the authors found it so interesting. by all means, go forth and do your own research.
what do the rest of you think?
-bs
