The Da Vinci Code

By the end, the film degenerates into wishy-washy relativism of the school that says "the only thing that matters is what you believe", a real cop-out after the hectic Grail quest preceding it.

What seems credible on page is ludicrous in action.

Completing the trail of cryptic clues simply becomes an end in and of itself -- think Sudoku: The Movie -- with little in the way of whimsy, star chemistry or excitement to enliven the dour plod.

Even as a visual aid, The Da Vinci Code is a deep-dyed disappointment. Paris by night never looked murkier.

If you take this stuff seriously, one way or another, you're sure to be duped. You've got to hand it to Mr. Brown: So dark the con of man, indeed.

... a first-rate thriller ...

The filmmakers were so concerned about doing justice to the book’s ideas that they forgot there’s an audience to entertain.

The Da Vinci Code jumps from remarkable location to remarkable location without generating memorable images or dramatic moments in a single one of them. It all becomes a blur.

It is foremost moviegoing entertainment - and only secondarily a condemnation of religious fanaticism.

Unwieldy scripting has the usually nimble Hanks tied down by tonnes of tongue-twisting expository dialogue.