The Da Vinci Code

I just saw the movie The Da Vinci Code. I enjoyed it, but at the risk of sounding cheesy, the book was better. The book described the ideas a lot better than the movie did. The book explained in more detail the history of things. The movie was very long and did cover the basics of what the book put forth, but the book is still worth a read. By no means do you get the full concept by just watching the movie. I enjoyed Tom Hanks in the movie, not his best role, but he's dependable. I really enjoyed Sir Ian McKellen's role in the movie. He did an amazing job (as if that's a surprise).

I remember reading the book in 2004. It had been out for a little while and the word had finally reached me. I read it and was just floored by the ideas. It doesn't matter if the book is fact or fiction, it's the ideas that are wonderful. I love to read and I love books that blend fact and fiction. Those kind of books keep you on your toes and make you think. And, I believe that The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is an excellent book, just on the basis it has people thinking. It has people angry. It has people excited. This is what a good book does. Very few books these days get people to think... or read, even.

The only thing that irritates me about the whole Da Vinci Code riot is the fact so many people take it as being presented as 'fact.' It is not presented as fact. It is a novel. Fiction. At the beginning of the book it states: "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this book are accurate." It does not say anything about the plot itself or the idea of the Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ relationship. This is not the first book to put out these ideas. These ideas have been around for centuries. The thing that surprises me about it all is people seem to think this book has so much power as to actually cause damage to organized religion. It is a book of fiction. Could some of the things in this book have actually happened? Sure. Could some of the things in this book have never happened? Sure. Will we ever know? Probably not. For now, I prefer to see the book as something to get people talking. A discussion starter. And I love discussion starters.