When I first started reading the Robert Langdon series, I read it all out of order. I read The Lost Symbol (third book) first, then Angels and Demons (first book), and so on. But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore since the movies themselves came out of order. The DaVinci Code (second book) was the first movie, Angels and Demon was second, and Inferno (fourth book) was third. What a system.
Anyway, last time I did this, I covered Beowulf, which as the first known poem made sense to be the first Book vs Movie. Now, I chose The DaVinci Code because Robert Langdon is my favorite literary character and because it was the first movie. I would’ve chosen my favorite Langdon book but it hasn’t been turned into a movie (yet, hopefully). Please, Hollywood, I would give you all my business for a Lost Symbol movie.
After the Louvre curator is killed, leaving a cryptic message for Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor and symbologist, the French police bring him in as an expert (though actually as a suspect). Langdon runs with the help of Sophie, granddaughter of the curator and police cryptographer. Clues are left for Langdon and Sophie that lead them to learning about an alternative religious history where Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene had a child while caught in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei. The book caused a lot of controversy amongst the Christian denominations when they thought the book was an attack on the Catholic Church. It also got a LOT of criticism for inaccurate histories and being an overall “hoax”. Forget the fact that this book is fiction, I guess. There were also three different lawsuits against this book, all of which lost. Let up, guys.
I love this book. The great thing about Dan Brown’s Langdon books is there’s always a villainous twist. I’m a fan. There are moments when research can get in the way and make it almost boring, but the action, suspense, characters, and overall plot make it all worth it.
In 2006 (three years after book publication), the movie was released with Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon. First thing I have to say about this is the casting for this movie was great. I loved the whole cast, I enjoyed casting people from their actual countries (with the exception of Paul Bettany as Silas, but I forgive because I adore Paul Bettany and his work), and I absolutely approve of Tom Hanks playing Langdon. The movie follows the book very well, though they did have to leave plenty out. If they turned the whole book into a movie, it would be 10 hours long. But we don’t have time for a second cryptex or Sophie’s entire backstory/meeting her brother. It’s all good, though. What they’ve included was great and necessary and still created a great story.
I love both, recommend both, and rank both as a 4.5/5.
Alexandra TG 