First, let me just say that I'm zero percent religious, I'm what you might call a true non-believer of ANY religion. And, nevertheless, I found this movie quite interesting and very well made. The way objects and symbols flicker when Tom Hanks notices something about them, the musical score, the ambiance, everything was truly well done. Although I did find myself surprised to predict some of the major story plots at about half way through the film, I still consider this a great mystery/suspense. I strongly recommend seeing this 'majestic' film, even if you are a devoted catholic (or any other religion).
I give it an 8.5 out of 10.
Ultradan
I read the book and thought it was a good adaptation.
I also heard an interview with Tom Hanks that described the book as written so that it makes you feel smart. You are familair with the symbols, the art, the story, the characters, and so you can sort of figure out where its going.
In general I thought it was a pretty well done thriller.
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I agree - I haven't read the book, but the film tripped along quite merrily and dealt with some interesting themes, albeit at a pretty superficial level. For a gamer, it's not a bad place to look for inspiration for a sort of puzzle hunt plot. Personally, I'm not religious so whether it is true or not (I very strongly suspect not, and don't really care anyway since I don't believe the official version either) isn't an issue.
I was very impressed with the whole movie, particularly the research that went into it and how they tied together so many tantalizing threads into one cohesive narrative. The storyteller in me digs that kind of thing. I'm sortova' loremaster of religious trivia. It was cool to see it treated intelligently for once. The tie ins between the Crusades and the Enlightenment back to the Last Supper and pre-christian symbolism were really classy. I thought tying the whole Burning Times into things was a bit of a stretch, but then it's the movie, not the book so there's probably a lot more connections made that I just didn't get in the film version. Honestly however you want to arrange the pieces, it's good to have them on the table so people can look at them and start talking about them. Stirring deep thought and religious/historical/philosophical discussion is always a plus!
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I'm sortova' loremaster of religious trivia.
Have you ever read The Sign and the Seal by Graham Hancock - it's a very interesting connection of his search for the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia, via the Knights Templar and a few others. It's non-fiction, and he goes a little bit loopy in the middle, but it's still interesting (if probably rubbish in the end) in a similar vein to The Da Vinci Code.