The DaVinci code review

Controversies, what would the world be without them? I can understand when something is controversial when it's regarding a film or book about a fact ("Passion of the Christ", "The Message") but when it is about a movie/book revolving around a myth and in a purely fictionalized setting: it just makes me want to laugh. "The DaVinci code" is just such a film. I am  aware that it was a book before this but having not read the book I cannot comment nor make a comparison of it. All that I do know is that the book had remained on the best sellers list for a while. Okaaay.....on to the review. For starters this film has pacing issues (maybe the theatrical version moves faster but again, wouldn't know). I won't say that I wasn't drawn into the story and that I wasn't intrigued because I was; I just felt that some parts of the film were unnecessary and bought the whole to an almost halt. Also the running time of 173 minutes was just a bit too long for my tastes. The cast list is top notch and that alone is reason enough to watch this movie and the thriller aspect is a cherry on top. I usually enjoy Tom Hanks in any role but for some reason he wasn't as believable (to me) as Robert Langdon. The rest of the cast do an excellent job and I must point out that the two actors that really played their parts to perfection (again opinion) were Jean Reno and Sir Ian Mckellan. After seeing this movie I did feel like I would benefit from a reading of the book to get a better understanding of the plot and in a sense just to compare how it is to the film. Director Ron Howard (remember Ritchie from "happy days"?) is one hell of a director and he chooses his products carefully. A thought provoking film but the running time could be of concern to some. Would recommend watching with a good sound system as the soundtrack is amazing; done by non other than Hans Zimmer.