Monday, May 22, 2006

The Da Vinci Code: The Movie zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Well, I just saw the Da Vinci Code and was not all that impressed. I agree with another reviewer that it does appear that the studio tuned down the movie. By this I mean that Langdon and Teabing in the movie discuss, with Langdon even questioning, some of Teabing’s assertions while in the book they are portrayed as basically being in agreement. The movie definitely takes a more subtle, but still blatant, approach to the idea of Mary Magdalene being the Holy Grail and she being married to Jesus. One of the ways that the movie does make its point about the many spurious contentions of the book is by showing flash backs to what is being said. This would seem to be used to convey truth to the story. But does anyone ask the question: So what if they found the bones of Mary Magdalene and the DNA matched Sophie that only proves they are related and what does than mean.

I would have to say that the book is more overt and more directed at making a statement than the movie. The movie, however, in the end comes to the same conclusions even if there is definitely a bent in the movie to offend people less.

As far as movies go it was quite slow and was not up to the par that I may expected from Ron Howard Company. At times I saw the movie as a lot slower version of Indiana Jones, a lot slower. It was not terrible, as films go, but it was also not all that compelling either.

I would not suggest a believer, or for that matter anyone, go for entertainment. Not because it was not all that good a movie, but because it does blaspheme Christ as being merely a man. This said there are many movies that should be avoided since more often than not the only Christian content of most films is that Christ’s and God’s names are used often, but not in honoring ways.

Is this the witnessing opportunity many claim it to be, NO. But that said it does create a point to start conversations, which I have had a few with people at work. When will the church stop looking for extraneous sources of opportunity when if we simply spoke and lived the truth, we need to do both, the witnessing will happen.

What I think the book has done is show the shortcoming of the church in not teaching it’s people the truth of scripture and history. When I had heard all that was in the book I just laughed because it is basically debunked by simple history. The fact that there are people, and there are, that are confused by the book says that we have not prepared our people well and we need to learn from this that we need to stop with the psychobabble that comes from so many pulpits and teach God’s word and all that surrounds it.

1 comment:

Rev said...

Yeah it really bothered me that the movie had calculated blasphemy, irreverence, and degregation of Christ. not only that but a muddling of actual history.

At least in the Indiana Jones movies blasphemy is not calculated and deceptive but rather banal and thoughtless -like the wrath of God is out to get the Nazi's because they opened the Ark.

Furthermore, it seems to contribute to our culture's carelessness about history and suggests that much of the real truth about history is utterly unknowable.

This is already a blind spot in our current culture --i think.