Linda Thomas: at the movies

Dan Brown’s fantastically popular novel has finally made it to the big screen. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is a symbologist lecturing in Paris, when he is called to the scene of a homicide. A curator of the Louvre has been murdered and he has left strange signs around his body. Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tatou) has been sent to the scene because of her knowledge of cryptology. The two soon realize that the police suspect Langdon and they run away together. They travel from Paris to London to Switzerland and back again following clues. The police are just one step behind them all the time. Silas (Paul Bettany), an albino monk, is also right behind them. He is an assassin of the church to keep secrets that have been hidden for thousands of years. The plot can be complicated to follow, particularly if you have not read the book. There are a lot of disturbing images and violence. People are killed. There is some non-sexual nudity while the albino monk is flagellating himself. The themes are mature and involve individual religious beliefs. Some will find these idea’s heretical. There is also a drug user and some sexual content. I think that viewers should look at this movie as fiction and not read too much into it. You need to be mature enough to formulate your own conclusions. Parents could talk to their children about their religious beliefs. What if their beliefs were seriously brought into question? Has the role of women changed?