The DaVinci Code
Everyone's going to blog on this soon, so let be me one of the first! I've gone to watch The DaVinci Code. And I didn't like it. Bummer.
With the way it was so hyped up - ironically, by many local churches and Christian ministries all around the region - I'd have expected a very convincing screening of the story that would shake the faith of millions of Christians to the core. But I found no such thing in the movie. It's most likely because I didn't read the book. And I'll bet most of the viewers won't have read it either. Anyway, I came out of the movie thinking through the entire reconstructed story about Jesus having a lineage of descendents birthed through Mary Magdalene and stuff, and concluded with the question, "So?"
I mean, why should such stories compel anyone's faith to be shaken? Anyone can take the characters from any historical event and fabricate an entirely new story. After all, look at Gladiators... no one came out of that movie pointing out how that story was a twisted version of the historical reality and all. It was seen as something fictional, even if the movie was filmed as though it was something real.
As a movie itself, I found The DaVinci Code boring, long-winded, and complicated. The genre felt more like that of National Treasure, minus the excitement. I also think that non-Christians and even most Protestant Christians would have a problem trying to understand the whole issue with Opus Dei in the movie, which was Dan Brown's rendition of the terribly warped perception that many have towards this Roman Catholic Order. Even a simple joke like the final remaining descendent of Jesus trying to test if she could walk on water didn't manage to provoke the slightest giggle from the audience.
I guess what I'm saying is, I don't see how this story / movie is a threat to the Christian faith at all. Could we perhaps have fallen for the gimmicks of the marketing experts by having contributed to the elevation of hype among Christians? We've probably done a better job at publicising The DaVinci Code than the marketing agencies have. All this hype we've given to the movie prior to its release sure is making someone rich.
At any rate, give me the following other movies to watch and stories to read, which I find more meaningful: 1) Harry Potter - an epitome of missional friendship; 2) X-Men - a hyperbolic reality of the dilemma of human insecurity; 3) Star Wars - a lesson in Kingdomic paradigm.
Comments (5)
Tested the temperature with some non-Christians... one say It sucks! the other says It's Ok la... heheh...
IMho, DVC kind of revisionist history only works if we believe that history is just a fable agreed upon... written by winners :) Otherwise people oughta have the sense to tell the difference.
Perhaps this is what makes DVC so popular?
Posted by Hedonese | May 19, 2006 4:19 PM
I hope Mission Impossible 3 is still on.
I think many Christians fail to realize the unintended consequences of their "well intended" actions. Clarify we surely must. When there are questions, we play our part in the education process.
But, too often we've played by the rules by those who've hyped up DVC ... and perhaps unconsciously given it more "power" and "persuasiveness" than it originally had.
After reviews like yours, I've kind of decided I'm not going to watch it in the movies. Save money. So, Xmen III is coming huh?
Posted by Sivin | May 19, 2006 9:53 PM
You're right, when I first read the book over a year ago, I was waiting for some new revelation which would cause me to look at m faith differently. Within a 100 pages, I felt I was treading over tired ground. Interestingly though, a survey done in the UK shows that many non-believers agreed that DVC influenced how they viewed Christianity, whereas a similar study done in America showed that DVC only had a negligible impact.
I will only choose to watch the movie only if a non-Christian friend of mine wants me to go see it with him.
Some recent movies I can recommend - Spike Lee's Inside Man, which forces us to think through race relations, and The Squid and the Whale, which does however, deal with rather mature themes as it inspects the break-up of a marriage and family, showing the reality of a fallen world besieged by sin. Walk the Line is pretty good too, a film full of hope. It admittedly is very conventional and failed to deal adequately with Johnny Cash's faith, but all in all a decent treatment of his life.
Posted by BK | May 21, 2006 5:14 AM
I like your paragraph; never "saw" those movies that way - any more where that came from? ;>)
Posted by alwyn | May 28, 2006 12:23 PM
hmm...i don't think davinci code is an interesting movie,they insulted JESUS and trying to confuse christian.I think this must be the work of lucifer(devil).It is written in the bible that Mary Magdalene was the mother of JESUS,therefore how can she be the wife of JESUS?I think we are approaching to the end of the world,because it is also written in the bible that before anti christ,there will be many things happen to confuse all the christian and devils will try to destroy human beings and also there're few natural disaster in these few days such as earthquake and lighting striking etc.But if you are faithful,you wouldn't be influenced.Everything that is written in bible is true and 100% accurate.At last,i would like to say it was a fiction! Do not influence by the movie,they just want to confuse us!Be faithuful to GOD and LORD JESUS CHRIST..because he is pure and divine
Posted by Faithful Believer | May 29, 2006 5:04 PM