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Monday, July 10, 2006
The Da Vinci Code
Today I finished reading Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and went to see the movie to kill some time. I have always been slightly behind in picking up on the latest fads and hypes, and this is no different. The Da Vinci Code has been out for a couple of years now and I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. Why? Because it recently hit me just how much the book is ruffling the feathers of the religious. I had to find out the reason.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly and is one of the few fiction novels I have read cover-to-cover. Regardless of the position you take on the subject matter, Dan Brown is a talented writer and knows how to craft an intriguing story that is both complex and easy to follow. The puzzles and instances of realization are very entertaining, and the historical explanations of the people, places, and events compliment the action and suspense well. Perhaps one reason I liked the Da Vinci Code so much was because I could relate to the main character, Robert Langdon. Not because I am a notable Harvard symbologist (I’m not), but rather it is Langdon’s quest for the truth that I can see in myself. As for the movie, it follows the book closely, with only a few minor changes in the way the plot unfolds. Tom Hanks was good as Robert Langdon, and the other characters blended seamlessly with Dan Brown’s portrayal of them in the book. At two and a half hours, the film is long and drags in places but the length doesn’t detract too much from the overall success of the adaptation. Additionally, a few scenes from the book were “muted” or scaled back in the film, perhaps as a response to the obvious attention The Da Vinci Code has received since its release a few years back. I haven’t become obsessed with The Da Vinci Code and its implications like many have, but I enjoyed it enough to pick up Dan Brown’s earlier book and Robert Langdon’s first appearance, Angels and Demons.
I have yet to come to any conclusions about the nature of the claims in The Da Vinci Code. I simply don’t know enough about the history surrounding early Christianity to have an informed opinion. I am, however, intrigued with the premise of the Holy Grail story and the possibility of a Church cover-up of Jesus’ story. Many Christians are rejecting The Da Vinci Code as pure fantasy and nothing more than a knock against their faith. Few of these critics seem to realize that The Da Vinci Code is in fact a work of fiction and therefore none of it can be taken at face value, despite Dan Brown’s disclaimer that parts of the story are factual. I find it amusing that people get worked up about something like this, going to great lengths to defend Christianity against a single book (just look on Amazon.com for Da Vinci Code spin-offs). The irony of offended Christians not being able to distinguish fact from fiction is delightful.
Posted by Will at July 10, 2006 09:54 PM in Personal Reflections