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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
First off, I'd like to apologize for the delay. I did see this movie last Saturday, and some people did ask me to write a review right away, but alas, I could not help but prioritize my work (for the first time in my life), and so am only writing this now. I didn't know people actually read my reviews.  I'll just cross my fingers now (but not all the time because you can't type with them crossed) and hope that this review will not disappoint.
Secondly, I'd like to mention that I never read the book this movie was based on. Not because I care about the whole controversy, just that I'm not very interested in religious debates, and I hate going along with the hype of things. I did however, get to read the first chapter of the book (because a student I used to tutor was reading it for class), and I just want to say that I didn't like it at all. Not because of the reason that most people don't like it--because it says some supposedly blasphemous stuff, but really because I found the writing bad. I mean, for a murder mystery, it wasn't very mysterious, or rather, it was trying to be too mysetrious that you ended up rolling your eyes thinking, "Yeah right, like people would really say that." It's way off as a mystery if you compare it to Sherlock Holmes, if you ask me. But then, translated to the screen, it comes off as a pretty good suspense movie.
One thing that I think makes suspense movies good is when you can't tell how or when it ends. Those scenes where you think they've solved the mystery and all is well, and then some unprecedented factor presents itself and changes everything, well, this film had a lot of that. Nevermind that it made the movie last for more than 2 hours, I didn't think it was boring at all.
The setting was great. Perhaps it's because I have a bias for old buildings and ruins and such and that's why I loved how they went around Europe to look for a tomb and found artifacts and stuff, but anyway, the traveling part was cool.
I don't have much to say about the casting. Tom Hanks didn't ruin the movie too much for me, as I think it did for most people. I guess I've seen him with better hair, though like I said, since I didn't read the book, I don't really have any expectations of what Robert Langdon would be like, though I didn't see anything very special in his acting, so maybe the others are right and he isn't the right man for the role, but anyway, he's just one man in a pretty good ensemble. No complaints for any of the other actors, I think they all did really well.
As for the R-18 rating it received from the MTRCB, my friend asked me if it was deserved, and I said yes, but really only for that penitence scene with Silas (Paul Bettany), because that scene was violent, and I really don't think the audience deserved to see it twice. But everything else was pretty much the usual murder mystery stuff that I really don't think would shake anyone's opinions or beliefs. If you ask me, 9 Mornings was a more influential film with regards to that religion stuff. (Yes, I do mean 9 Mornings with Piolo Pascual and Donita Rose -- it was about the simbang gabi tradition, what?! Don't look at me like that. There was a scene there where Donita's character told Piolo that it was okay to take communion without going to confession first because, "Diyos naman ang magpapatawad sa'yo, hindi tao," (It's God who forgives you, not other people.) but I specifically remember hearing from a priest in one of the retreats I went to how it was essential to confess your sins to an actual person, even if you think it's just between you and God. And let's face it; a larger chunk of the Filipino population would rather watch Piolo than Tom Hanks.)
I'm wishing that the MTRCB people only put that rating to shut the noisy whiny people who are making a big deal out of this up, and not because they sincerely think that it'll lessen the church goers in the society.
Special mention to the scene in the Louvre where they went from one Da Vinci painting to another to find out more of the message that Sauniere left. It reminded me of the teeny-bopper kind of mysteries where they'd look for clues using cute gadgets. Having it done in the Louvre was just so cool. I wish it was longer. Oh, and I also liked the first scene where Langdon was giving his speech on symbols, I wish I could attend a seminar like that. :P And, the ending, the real one, deserves a big round of applause as well.
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