The Da Vinci Code

I have not read Dan Brown’s bestseller “The Da Vinci Code,” but after seeing the movie last night, I’m going to.
Tom Hanks plays Robert Langdon, a professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard, who has to help Sophie Neveu (played by Audrey Tautou) solve a mysterious murder at the Louvre and find the Holy Grail, with a secret religious society and an obsessive French policeman hot on their tails.
For the millions who have read this book, there are no secrets here, but for those of us, like myself, who have yet to open the pages, The Da Vinci Code is an interesting thriller. It’s not Oscar worthy, but you hardly notice the three hours go by.
The film can be a bit nerdy at times (one of my favorite lines is when Hanks says to Tautou “I need to get to a library” at one of the most tense scenes in the film) and the secrets in the film are pretty easy to unravel. But, as far as Ron Howard films go, it is pretty darn good. (Though my wife said the book is much better.)
But I do have a question. What is the big deal? I can’t figure out why the Catholic Church and some if its followers are protesting this film (even here in Sheboygan).
First of all, it is a fictional work. Yes, the authors of a non-fiction history text sued Dan Brown because of similarities, but it is fiction nonetheless.
Second, there is a lot of real history in this film, (not the part about the Holy Grail - I’m sure that’s a guess). All of a sudden we’re not supposed to take liberties with history? This is America Baby!
And third ... IT’S A MOVIE STARRING TOM HANKS. Forest Gump. The Man With One Red Shoe. Money Pit. The Burbs. Big. Yeah, he had a couple of Oscar winners in there, but come on. This movie is so popcorn it’s ridiculous. Just go out an enjoy it. Sheesh.

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