Most movie reviewers don’t like The Da Vinci Code. A sampling:
Newsweek: “The Roman Catholic Church can rest easy. Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman struggle mightily to cram as much as possible of Dan Brown’s labyrinthine thriller into a 2-hour-28-minute running time, resulting in a movie both overstuffed and underwhelming.”
Detroit News: “Here’s the gospel on “The Da Vinci Code”: It’s a total snore. It’s so boring it could be called “The Dull Vinci Code.” It’s so dumb it could be called “The Duh Vinci Code.” It’s the worst film ultra-reliable director Ron Howard has ever made. It turns the most likeable actor in America, Tom Hanks, into a stodgy cipher. It makes the most charming actress in Europe, Audrey Tautou, about as appealing as gum surgery. Together they have the chemistry of buttermilk.
Washington Post: “The most controversial thriller of the year turns out to be about as exciting as watching your parents play Sudoku.”
New York Times: “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.”
Variety: “An oppressively talky film that isn’t exactly dull, but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material; result is perhaps the best thing the project’s critics could have hoped for.”