The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown's blockbuster novel revolving around a shadowy society at the center of an ecclesiastical conspiracy bent on suppressing the truth about the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene may be nothing more than a silly potboiler, but it's a publishing phenomenon, and the only question fans will have about Ron Howard's adaptation is whether the tome has been successfully transferred onto celluloid. The movie version of The Da Vinci Code is basically faithful, covering in streamlined fashion all of the main events (and using fuzzy flashbacks as a sort of shorthand to cram in extraneous bits and pieces), and even clarifying some dangling plot threads and adding twists to the penultimate “chapter” that will surprise (and perhaps irritate) devotees. But it can't overcome the fact that despite all the globetrotting and close shaves, the story is filled with wearisome and heavy-handed exposition (Howard relieves the verbosity by inserting elaborate period recreations into the monologues, but they look like outtakes from a History Channel documentary), and Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou exhibit little chemistry as the couple searching for answers (indeed, the only one who really runs with the loony material is Ian McKellen, as the flamboyant Sir Leigh Teabing). What The Da Vinci Code really needed was a flashy, fun style, but Howard treats it like Shakespeare rather than a modern-day Raiders of the Lost Ark. Purchase according to demand. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras on this two-disc “special edition” include the production documentary “Filmmakers Journey” (37 min.), as well as the featurettes “Unusual Suspects” on casting (18 min.), “Magical Places” on locations (16 min.), “A Portrait of Langdon” (7 min.) on Tom Hanks' character, “Who is Sophie Neveu?” on Audrey Tautou's character (7 min.), “Close Up on Mona Lisa” (7 min.), “The Codes” explanation of hidden symbols in the film (6 min.), “A Discussion with Dan Brown” on the author (5 min.), “First Day on the Set with Ron Howard” on the director (2 min.), and “The Music of The Da Vinci Code” (3 min.). The set also features a DVD-ROM-accessible demo for the video game, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a ponderous adaptation of a not particularly well-written bestseller.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—May 12, 2009—Sony, 2 discs, 174 min., not rated, $38.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's The Da Vinci Code (Extended Cut) features a fine transfer and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras from the previous DVD release include the production documentary “Filmmakers Journey” (37 min.), as well as the featurettes “Unusual Suspects” on casting (18 min.), “Magical Places” on locations (16 min.), “A Portrait of Langdon” (7 min.) on Tom Hanks' character, “Who is Sophie Neveu?” on costar Audrey Tautou's character (7 min.), “Close Up on Mona Lisa” (7 min.), “The Codes” explanation of hidden symbols in the film (6 min.), “A Discussion with Dan Brown” on the author (5 min.), “First Day on the Set with Ron Howard” on the director (2 min.), and “The Music of The Da Vinci Code” (3 min.). New to the Blu-ray release is an “Unlocking the Code” interactive picture-in-picture track, select scene commentary by Howard, “The Visual Effects World” featurette (15 min.), a “Book to Screen” featurette (11 min.), a “Re-Creating Works of Art” featurette (6 min.), featurettes on props (10 min.) and sets (9 min.), an eight-minute look at the sequel Angels & Demons with an intro by Howard (8 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: although the theatrical version is not available as an option here, this is a fine extras-filled Blu-ray debut for the extended cut of the popular (if also uneven) film adaptation of Brown's bestselling novel.][Blu-ray Review—Oct. 18, 2016—Sony, 138 min., PG-13, Blu-ray: $14.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's The Da Vinci Code sports a fine transfer from a 4K scan and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras new to this release include extended cut scenes (36 min.) and “Launching a Legacy” new interviews (5 min.). Also included are all previous bonus features and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: if you already own the earlier Blu-ray edition, this version—timed with the release of the next franchise film, Inferno—is not a necessary purchase.]