The Da Vinci Code

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Dan Brown tells an interesting tale of mystery and suspense that far too many people are getting worked up about. In all the hype (and anti-hype Da Vinci Decoded, etc) it is easy to say, hey, this book is a work of fiction and so shouldn't be taken seriously. While that is, perhaps, why the book is getting hype, there are several other reasons why it has become so popular.

The Da Vinci Code involves interesting subject matter concerning the origins of popular religions told in a way that is entertaining and has you guessing what is next at each step along the way. All in all, the book version of this media juggernaut has been successful because it is easy to read, it feels like you are being let in on a secret/learning something new, and it never really gets bogged down by more in depth analysis of its assertions. Incidentally that last one is why it is so easy to poke holes in some (though not all) of the books ideas.

What I fear about the movie set to open this weekend is that many of these elements that made the book good will be left out by the filmmakers. (something some of the critics may already be saying, though I am purposely not reading reviews until I see it.). My, somewhat negative outlook on the movie is that it will leave out some of the more interesting/controversial ideas about early Christianity, it will somehow fail to be paced correctly to keep it exciting, and (from what I have seen of the trailers) will contain some pretty poor acting (which may seem surprising considering I like much of the cast a lot).