'Da Vinci' intrigues, but don't take it too seriously

When faith meets fiction, strange things can happen.

Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" hit the scene three years ago, and theologians blasted his notion that Christianity is based on a cover-up. That buried beneath layers of secrecy and entwined in the work of the world's artistic masters lies a truth so shocking that it would change history. And somehow amid the furious debate, people forgot it is just a book.

Sony Pictures 'The Da Vinci Code' 3 out of 5 stars Director: Ron Howard Starring: Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina, Ian McKellen Run time: 149 minutes Release date: May 19, 2006 Rating: PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content. See showtimes Sneak peek Take an advance look at action in "The Da Vinci Code" with these stills from the movie. Decoding the story • Insightful storytelling or historical blunders? • Who was the real da Vinci? • What did early Christians really say about Jesus? On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'The Da Vinci Code'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Now comes Hollywood's version, and Christians around the world have been fretting that the movie will only serve to fan the flames of skepticism. That the claims explored in the film will turn the populace into so many doubting Thomases.

Take a deep breath, world: It's all going to be OK.

The story centers on "the greatest story ever told," that of Jesus' divinity. It seems scholars have another theory: Jesus was a regular man who could perform miracles, a man with a wife who was carrying their child when he was crucified. This led to a massive cover-up complete with a secret society, the Priory of Sion, sworn to protect Jesus' mortal bloodline.

But where the novel's protagonist, professor Robert Langdon, is a believer in Mary Magdalene's role as the true Holy Grail, Tom Hanks' Langdon plays more of a devil's advocate. Hanks' performance lacks the charisma that leaps from the pages of Brown's novel; he is mostly just along for the ride.

In a crucial scene, scholar Leigh Teabing (a delightful Ian McKellen) hurls fact and legend about Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail at a confused Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou). Instead of agreeing, as he does in the book, Langdon points out that Teabing's theory is just that, his presentation just a "game."

This point-counterpoint is Hollywood's half-hearted response to all the hubbub. Nothing that makes the book controversial is missing in the film. We still have a group of cardinals meeting under the shroud of darkness, plotting a payoff to stay in power. A sect of conservative Catholics, Opus Dei, comes off as a group of uncompromising, murderous and unstable zealots. The central thread still maintains that the basis for modern Christianity, for the power and reach of the Catholic Church, is a lie.

Sounds intense, doesn't it? It is, most of the time. Mystery and conspiracy blend into an interesting story; the same things that made the book a best-seller make this film mostly entertaining. The Magdalene controversy will live on, but perhaps the best lesson people can take from the "Da Vinci" experience comes from the words of professor Langdon himself: "The only thing that matters is what you believe."