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I think you're bang on in this post. Although I didn't think the book had high literary value it definitely had a way of twisting logic and making the reader actually ponder its claims. And the ending for the book was also anti-climatic (and very poorly written; a huge let-down on the entertainment factor).

I haven't seen the movie but I don't think I want to. Maybe for $2 but we don't get movies that cheap here! Perhaps if someone else rents it or when it appears on my parent's movie channels.

You could get a Salvadorian original here for $1 and that is all of the entertainment and fun you can have on a DVD. It is single point, mono sound with Camcorder quality. Sweet deals to be had on the street.

We forked out the big money to see it in the theatre.

Well, Crystal and I have recently purchased the book, so neither of us has read it yet. But we did go see the movie on Tuesday. I would agree with a comment I read on
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code/ that said it "...plays sort of like National Treasure..." I always like movies that play around with archaeological stuff, whether it is accurate or not. Just for fun.

I also agree with anti-climatic ending. In fact, it could have ended three times over, and just when we thought we had finally found the real ending, the credits rolled w/o any resolution. But despite that, and some awkward dialogue at times, I thought it was well done. I espcially thought Paul Bettany did a fantastic job as the self-flagellating albino monk. He has done some fantastic work in other films (A Beautiful Mind, Dogville, A Knight's Tale), and this only adds to his list of accomplishments. He's quickly becoming one of my more favorite actors (of course, Daniel Day-Lewis still tops the list).

That said, I don't think this movie is going to cause the masses to flee away from Christianity, nor will it cause them to run to it either. In fact, I think most of the twenty-somethings in the theatre with us will forget about the movie before the summer is over. They simply will not take the time to process all the details that were presented, heretical or otherwise. And those that do take the time to process and/or "research" the movie will likely look into the "opposing" opionons as well, since they are hard to avoid if your researching this topic.

From all the hype I've been hearing about this movie amongst Christians, I thought it would be more dangerous. But as Mark has mentioned, the movie is just not that threatening. However, I do plan to continue to educate myself on the topic, because I see it as a great tool for discussion/witnessing. Our generation is very movie oriented (anyone remember the Matrix), and our conversations are often shaped around the movie culture. And since I hope and plan to continue to be involved with the "young adult generation" for many more years, I see this movie as a opportunity to enter into discussions of Scriptural authority, church history, and the like. Further, I don't think that avoidance of secular media, simply becuase we don't agree with the message it contains, lends any credibility to the Christian faith. Know the truth, yes. But also be aware of what's going on around you, because in the social climate we live in, if you aren't aware of what others are talking about, but you want to add your opionion to the mix, you risk being written off as close-minded and dogmatic.

And, on a final note, love your neighbour. Unless you show them that you really care about them, then they likely won't even care about what you have to say in regards to the truth anyway. (So...good job, Mark. Way to go on "getting into the ring!") Blessings!

The book is hugely popular in Japan, and there are posters everywhere here for the movie. Students have brought it up in my English classes as well.