Watched the movie a few years ago and it just happened last week that I went to HMV and found a copy of the fiction at just HK$49. Think this should be an interesting read to compare the book with the movie.
I never read fiction and this is the first time I read a full fiction, save those fictions/novels we had to read during my secondary school days. I spent a week of my bedtime reading on it and it turns out to be a valuable read.
It is well written, fluent, fast-paced and full of excitement. It made me kept turning the pages eventhough I knew what was going on from the movie. The fiction "version" provides even more detailed information about the Priory of Sion, Templar Knight, the reasoning beyond their deduction of the "codes", and some other information about the religious history. It filled up my queries about the movie.
The movie was quite in line with the fiction, save a few scenes that would give audiences a better visualization effect.
I understand that some religious personnel, especial Christian, criticized heavily on this movie and some regards this fiction provided pseudo-history. However, I think that Dan Brown had just listed out a number of facts with a series of questions (quite logical as I see), and then he put all together to portrait a different version of his own about the happening to Templar Knights, Sion, or even the whole Christian religion, plus some further questions for the reader to think. He also showed he is cautious in approaching any comments on it and he deliberately stated in the fiction, via Robert Langdon that he did not say Christianity was false or whatever, even his version of story in the fiction was correct.
I really think that may not be too big deal for a fiction like that and I incline to think that the Church may be a bit over-react, which I still appreciate it as the Church has to maintain its divinity and integrity, given its history or its mission. On the other hand, those people in argument or those conspiracy theorists were too concentrated on the "codes" of the paintings in Louvre and the wordings of cryptex, without going back to some very simple basic issue of the origin of Christianity.
An enjoyable read, I think I would have indulged into it IF I read the book before the movie.
Some fringe benefits of reading this fiction is that I have a few more sightseeing spots for my coming trip to London and Scotland.......Temple Church and Rosslyn Church.
