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The Da Vinci Code Review

Release Date: May 19, 2006
Rated: disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references, sexual content
Runtime: 2 hr. 29 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Director:Ron Howard
Cast:Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

2.0

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

God hates your dull movie. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

3.0

46

out of 100

Metascore^®
Mixed or average reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
20

out of 100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Even as a visual aid, though, The Da Vinci Code is a deep-dyed disappointment. Paris by night never looked murkier.
40

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Da Vinci never rises to the level of a guilty pleasure. Too much guilt. Not enough pleasure.

Read Full Review

50

out of 100

The New York Times Dana Stevens
I certainly can't support any calls for boycotting or protesting this busy, trivial, inoffensive film. Which is not to say I'm recommending you go see it.

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50

out of 100

Variety Todd McCarthy
Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material.

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50

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
Ron Howard has taken an intriguing page-turner of a story and re-shaped it into a bloated wannabe epic.

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58

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
The surprise, and disappointment, of The Da Vinci Code is how slipshod and hokey the religious detective story now seems.

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60

out of 100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
While the story plays better on the page than the screen and some of the film's elements work better than others, a proficient Ron Howard version of things is certainly competent if only occasionally thrilling.

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75

out of 100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Dan Brown's novel is utterly preposterous; Ron Howard's movie is preposterously entertaining.

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See all The Da Vinci Code reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 13+

Slow-moving, talky translation of popular novel.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the movie opens with a brutal murder and includes several other bloody scenes, including a naked man beating himself. The subject matter is too convoluted to interest young kids, so unless you want to shush them, leave them home. A couple of characters use mild profanity, although most of the cursing shows up in French and in subtitles. SPOILER ALERT: The film's plot, based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel, suggests that the Catholic Church has for centuries repressed the "truth" that Jesus was human, married Mary Magdalene, and fathered a daughter. Some viewers may find the issues raised -- Jesus' divinity and the Church's cover-up -- upsetting.

Families can talk about the film's premise and the controversy it has inspired. How does the controversy help to promote the movie?
What's the appeal of conspiracy theories?
If you've read the book, how does the movie compare?

The good stuff

Messages: To protect a secret, characters kill, lie, rob, and injure -- while others are determined to uncover the truth. The movie's plot presumes upon long-standing, deep-seated cover ups among very important people.
Role models: Langdon is resourceful and very intelligent; his determination to uncover the truth never flags. But other characters are far less worth emulating, whether because they lie and betray others or because they purposely harm themselves.

What to watch for

Violence: Shooting murder opens the film; Silas whips and cuts himself, showing blood and cringing/grimacing in pain; grainy flashback scenes repeatedly show violence (Crusades/knights, battles/armies, witch hunts/burnings, visualizing various narrations of "history"); personal flashbacks include Silas' abuse as a child, young Robert trapped in a well, and young Sophie crying/afraid in the harrowing car accident that killed her parents. General action includes shootings, fisticuffs, poisoning, kicks/slaps; Silas kills a nun by smashing her head; blood on shirts and faces.
Sex: Some famous paintings show women's naked body parts; Silas appears naked as he performs self-flagellation (you see only his backside and close-ups of limbs); discussion of gender roles includes mention of penises (emblem of "male aggression").
Language: Some swearing, including French with subtitles ("s--t," "bastard") and English ("Jesus," "hell").
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.84

Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango

The Da Vinci Code review by Therumrunner5
Cable

by emptylocket

TOM HANKS!!! by xanderp15
What else is there to be said...Tom Hanks, mystery, and suspense!!!

by geoelevation25

Read all The Da Vinci Code reviews at Fandango