The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut – Two-Disc Set

Unbreakable code

Dan Brown’s best selling book by the same name translated pretty-well to the big screen.  When this movie first hit the theaters in 2006, it was an instant hit.  Columbia Pictures and Imagine Entertainment decided that it would not only bring this film in an extended version, but also deliver it on the best possible format, Blu-ray.  Before we get into this any further, here’s the story:

Dr. Robert Langdon is a symbologist.  He studies the meaning of symbols and shapes.  He has written many books on the subject and is an expert.  When he’s called in to help out a french investigation of the death of Jacques Sauniere (a decent acquaintance of Langdon’s), he soon finds himself as the lead suspect in the man’s death. Set-up by someone, Langdon goes on the lamb with Agent Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist, to uncover not only the killer of Jacques Sauniere, but also discover a deeper plot by the catholic church to hide a nasty truth that could re-shape the view of Jesus in the eyes of the world.

I know what you’re thinking, an atheist going against the idea of religion? What a preachy film! Not true… entirely.  First, please do this before you go into the film, suspend your belief that this is real.  The only true way to enjoy a film that has more controversy over it than the movie Dogma and The Last Temptation of Christ is to just tell yourself it’s a freaking movie. Once you go beyond that step, you’ll find that The Da Vinci Code is quite good on so many levels.

The movie’s story, while never better than the book, still brings all the action and drama that you’ll find in the book.  Maybe it’s not done in the greatest details, but it still delivers enough to make even the most staunch hardcore book fan happy as can be. It’s never easy to translate book to film, but thanks to Ron Howard’s vision and a wonderful screenplay from Akiva Goldsman, all the details are there.  You get fantastic character development through various flashbacks (which are breathtaking) and short scenes (you know who Langdon is the first minute you see him give a presentation in Paris about symbols — he’s smart, open-minded and ready for a challenge).  All of the characters, even the minor ones (such as Jean Reno’s Captain Bezu Fache, who is intriguing to say the least) are developed so well that you understand their place in the story.  For most books going to film seems like a terrible task that never seems to turn out well (ignore what you know about Lord of the Rings, four hour films don’t count). Characters are generally summed up quickly and important parts are manipulated into minor roles.  With The Da Vinci Code you won’t miss a beat. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it still entertains and explains to audiences who have never picked up Brown’s novel.

What helps this film out even more is the extended scenes of the film.  They actually help out the story and give more beef to some weak parts.  Most extended movies tend to add zero drama to the film, it’s like putting deleted scenes in that viewers really didn’t care for. For The Da Vinci Code this isn’t the case.  It’s as if Ron Howard has a little more freedom to make the story a bit deeper and more solid and he did it to help the movie, not hurt it.  You get a few more details in the extended version, get to know our hero a bit more.  You also get a wonderful addition towards the end of the film that just supports the theory that Sophie and Langdon come up with.  Again, it’s done to help the film not hurt it.  You also get to see a bit more of Silas’ life that lead him into the ring of fire with Molina’s Bishop Manuel Aringarosa. Gives Silas a bit more depth (though he looks freaky still). Anyway, you’ll be pleased with the addition of story and it’s truly a welcomed addition.

As for casting, do I really need to go into how wonderful the cast was?  They were all perfect (even more so with Angels and Demons).

So are there any downers about the film? Well, somewhere between the armored truck and Ian McKellen’s chase the movie does have a slow period of time.  It doesn’t kill the movie’s pace at all, but it does slightly bring the chase moment down.  It’s my only complaint. Otherwise, the film really just keeps moving forward unimpeded.

Blu-ray makes the movie a bit more God-like

If you ever see Hans Zimmer, hug him. The man can not only make a memorable soundtrack, but he makes it with power! His music comes through a 7.1 set-up like birds chirping on a spring morning; it’s simply stunning to hear.  Thank the Blu-ray format and Columbia Pictures for remastering this already masterful soundtrack. For the majority of the film it’s relying on nighttime shots and a lot of gray/black locations. This benefits HD so much that you’ll just be blown away by how it visually feels. I particularly love the flashbacks and how they look on Blu-ray.  Finally, you can’t really say enough about the beautiful locales that Howard and crew shot in. Sure most of it was France, but they shot the best parts. It all looks stunning in HD.

As for features, you get an entire disc to yourself. Here’s what you get:

• Exclusive First Look at Angels & Demons

• Unlocking the Code: Interactive Picture-in-Picture streams include:

  • Interviews: Hear from filmmakers and the cast.

  • B-roll: Observe the action behind the scenes.

  • Prop Talk: Learn how props were made.

  • Storyboards:  See the shots before the cameras rolled.

  • Photos:  Behind the scenes snapshots.

  • Location Trivia: Fun facts about the different locations in the film.

  • Langdon’s Journey: Keep track of Langdon’s every move.

  • Symbols & Codes: discover hidden symbols put in place by filmmakers, including the enlightening Alchemic Journeys of our two heroes.

• New Commentary on Selected Scenes with Ron Howard

• Featurettes:

  • First Day on the Set with Ron Howard

  • The Filmmakers’ Journey Part 1

  • The Filmmakers’ Journey Part 2

  • A Discussion With Dan Brown

  • A Portrait of Langdon

  • The Codes of The Da Vinci Code

  • Who is Sophie Neveu?

  • The Music of The Da Vinci Code

  • Unusual Suspects

  • Book To Screen

  • Magical Places

  • The Da Vinci Props

  • Close-up on Mona Lisa

  • The Da Vinci Sets

  • Re-creating Works of Art

  • Scoring The Da Vinci Code

  • The Visual Effects World of The Da Vinci Code

What else could you possible ask for? This thing is loaded! I give all kinds of kudos to Columbia for recognizing that they just don’t want to make another film-to-Blu-ray transfer.  They wanted to make it worth the consumer/fan’s money. And so they did.