The Da Vinci code
A thriller curiously lacking in thrills, what made for a gripping read - regardless of the (lack of) theological truth - ends up feeling somewhat leaden on screen. Considering the fine cast, it's a bit of a disappointment: only Ian McKellen comes away unscathed, clearly enjoying himself as the slightly dotty Grail enthusiast.
To a great extent, the problems are down to the script, made up of endless exposition to explain away the next level of the conspiracy. Some concession must be made to the cinema if a coherent plot is to come out of Dan Brown's episodic novel; it's a pity Akiva Goldman didn't see fit to add a few more details beyond providing Jean Reno's Fache with some semblance of motivation.
Considering how good it could have been, how sad to report that Ron Howard's latest is, at best, merely okay.
(4th June 2006)
To a great extent, the problems are down to the script, made up of endless exposition to explain away the next level of the conspiracy. Some concession must be made to the cinema if a coherent plot is to come out of Dan Brown's episodic novel; it's a pity Akiva Goldman didn't see fit to add a few more details beyond providing Jean Reno's Fache with some semblance of motivation.
Considering how good it could have been, how sad to report that Ron Howard's latest is, at best, merely okay.
(4th June 2006)
Reviews A-Z
- Edinburgh Festival season 2006: Bach's Mass in B minor (Fringe)
- Angel-A
- Banlieue 13
- Brokeback Mountain
- Capote
- Casanova
- Charlie and the chocolate factory
- The constant gardener
- The Da Vinci code
- Edinburgh Festival season 2005: Autistic license (Fringe)
- Edward Scissorhands (Matthew Bourne ballet)
- Good night, and good luck
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (novel)
- Hebrides Ensemble plays Ravel
- Keeping mum
- King Kong (2005)
- Lady and the tramp (DVD)
- Memoirs of a geisha
- Merry Christmas
- Mission: Impossible III
- Lisa Milne in recital (Usher Hall International Series 2005/06)
- Munich
- The new statesman
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead man's chest
- Romeo and Juliet (Edinburgh University)
- Rose St Ensemble's Mozart birthday concert
- Royal Lyceum Theatre Company (2005/06 season): Faust, parts I and II
- Royal Scottish National Orchestra: American icons (2005/06 season)
- Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Mozart and Prokofiev (2005/06 season)
- Superman returns
- Syriana
- Transamerica
- United 93
- Walk the line (2006 film)
- The war of the worlds (2005 film)
- William Jewell College Choir
The bald prima donna (Fringe)
Emily Beynon/Andrew West recital (EIF) Black comedy (Fringe)
Budapest Festival Orchestra (EIF)
The Canterbury tales (Fringe)
Flanders and Swann (Fringe)
The Jazz Centre: Colin Steele quintet (Fringe)
The Lindberg flight/The flight over the ocean and The seven deadly sins (EIF)
Mazeppa (EIF)
The real Inspector Hound (Fringe)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead (Fringe)
Shakespeare's passions (Fringe)
Troilus and Cressida (EIF)
Beautiful thing (Fringe)
Curlew river (EIF)
Dutch National Ballet (EIF)
Bach cantatas for solo voice (Fringe)
Dido and Aeneas (Fringe)
Fitz Barbershop (Fringe)
Graveyard music (Fringe)
Magdalena Kožená recital (EIF)
MacHomer (Fringe)
Michelangelo string quartet (EIF)
Monteverdi Vespers (EIF)
Monty Python's Flying Circus in French (Fringe)
Philomusica of Edinburgh (Fringe)
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (EIF)
Les liaisons dangereuses
Tartuffe