Vox Humana

Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dan Brown’s controversial novel has been generally panned by movie critics, and it’s no wonder. Having both read the book and seen the movie, I must say that the latter falls far short in it’s efforts to capture the suspense and intrigue that made the novel an interesting read even for those of us who are committed to exposing its fraudulent claims. The movie fails in a number of ways. First, there simply isn’t time in a 2 1/2 hour movie to do justice to both Dan Brown’s story and his claims concerning the history of Christianity. In the end, both suffered. What was expected to be a gripping drama that made bold declarations about Jesus being married and Constantine corrupting history turned out to be a long, slow Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. To compound the failures, Tom Hanks was brought in to play the lead character. His dismal performance leaves me asking the question: Did he try too hard, or did he not try at all?

Of course, I hardly mourn Ron Howard’s failure to put together a masterpiece. In fact, when I wasn’t fighting to keep my eyes open, I kept thinking to myself that it was very possible that the Da Vinci hype would soon lull into forgetfulness, similar to the great fizzle that followed the release of The Last Temptation of Christ. I reminded myself, however, that unlike the former movie, this one was based on a wildly popular novel that has already sold over 40 million copies. While the movie may have failed to capture the essence of the book, and in the process watered down some of its more bold (and easily refuted) claims, nevertheless the controversies promoted by Dan Brown will continue to be a stumbling block for many who hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not let our guard down in thinking this movie will have little impact.

Ron Howard’s adaptation of Dan Brown’s controversial novel has been generally panned by movie critics, and it’s no wonder. Having both read the book and seen the movie, I must say that the latter falls far short in it’s efforts to capture the suspense and intrigue that made the novel an interesting read even for those of us who are committed to exposing its fraudulent claims. The movie fails in a number of ways. First, there simply isn’t time in a 2 1/2 hour movie to do justice to both Dan Brown’s story and his claims concerning the history of Christianity. In the end, both suffered. What was expected to be a gripping drama that made bold declarations about Jesus being married and Constantine corrupting history turned out to be a long, slow Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. To compound the failures, Tom Hanks was brought in to play the lead character. His dismal performance leaves me asking the question: Did he try too hard, or did he not try at all?

Of course, I hardly mourn Ron Howard’s failure to put together a masterpiece. In fact, when I wasn’t fighting to keep my eyes open, I kept thinking to myself that it was very possible that the Da Vinci hype would soon lull into forgetfulness, similar to the great fizzle that followed the release of The Last Temptation of Christ. I reminded myself, however, that unlike the former movie, this one was based on a wildly popular novel that has already sold over 40 million copies. While the movie may have failed to capture the essence of the book, and in the process watered down some of its more bold (and easily refuted) claims, nevertheless the controversies promoted by Dan Brown will continue to be a stumbling block for many who hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not let our guard down in thinking this movie will have little impact.