Critic Reviews

Ron Howard's splendid 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.

All in all, a respectable and predictable adaptation.

The surprise, and disappointment, of The Da Vinci Code is how slipshod and hokey the religious detective story now seems.

Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material.

I certainly can't support any calls for boycotting or protesting this busy, trivial, inoffensive film. Which is not to say I'm recommending you go see it.

Howard and Goldsman have efficiently touched all the bases. But they haven't found a way to replicate the book's page-turning urgency.

Da Vinci never rises to the level of a guilty pleasure. Too much guilt. Not enough pleasure.

It stars Tom Hanks in his first genuinely dull screen performance.