Having never read the book which the movie is based off, it's very hard to say if a lot of the faults I picked up in the movie were derived from shitty writing on the author's or film-writer's sides.
One glaring issue that was prevalent throughout the movie is that Robert Langdon is a dumbass. He's an intelligent dumbass, but a dumbass nonetheless.
Actor Tom Hanks, most popularly known for
screaming at a Volleyball.
If there is any fundamental message I took from the movie, it's that nothing should be taken at face-value and we should question everything.
Not Robert Langdon, though, he's the exception.
As the viewer, we get to see all the events unfold from everyone's perspective, giving us insight to how the story unravels. With this knowledge, we get a clear view of what is happening and are able to side with the protagonists in the story, which have been clearly outlined. The movie makes sense from this perspective.
However, thrust into Langdon's shoes, the story changes to a series of terrible decisions.
So, let's start from the beginning and try to understand some of the logic into Langdon's decision-making:
Robert Langdon, a Harvard University Professor, is in Paris at the same time a prominent Curator in the Lourve is murdered. Langdon is then summoned by Interpol to the Louvre to try and establish a connection between the murder and himself.
Upon arrival, Langon is greeted by a detective which skimps out on many details about what is actually happening until they're at the crime scene. A naked body lies on the floor with a bloody pentagram depicted on his chest and a UV marker in his hand.
Closer examination with a UV light reveals a message ending in "PS. Find Robert Langdon" next to the body. It would be at this point that the average person would start to question why the deceased would have asked for him...or even have had a UV pen on him at the time of death, but not Robert Langdon.
The Vitruvian Man has really let himself go.
While examining the scene, a police Cryptographer approaches Langdon and gives him a cellphone, telling him there is a message waiting for him. Langdon hears the message, which is a voice-note from the same Cryptographer telling him he is in grave danger and he should not trust the detective. Langdon heeds her advise and treads carefully around the detective.
Now, let's hold up a little bit.
Some woman you have never met approaches you, hands you a message telling you that you're in danger and you're going to trust her over the Interpol detective?
Riiiiight.
Come with me if you want to live.
After hearing the message, Langdon excuses himself to the bathroom where much to his surprise, the same Cryptographer lady is there and informs him that she is the deceased's grand-daughter. She tells him he is in grave danger, that he will die if they don't solve the murder and that the Interpol detectives are tracking him. She reveals to Langdon that he has a tracking device in his pocket and convinces him to evade the detectives and solve the murder with her like an episode of Scooby-Doo.
Any sane person would have taken a step back and seen that this woman was clearly struck with grief and was having some sort of mental episode after the loss of her grandfather. Any sane person would realize that you're in enough shit, just for having your name written at a murder scene, so running away with a crazy grief-struck woman that is rambling about conspiracy is probably not the best course of action, but not Robert Langdon.
No, Robert Langdon decides right then and there that he trusts this little lady enough to become a fugitive and prime suspect for the murder, so they toss the tracking unit out of the window and wait for the detectives to chase the rabbit so they can have the crime-scene all to themselves.
Race you to your grandfather's body!
Langdon and Sophie start examining the crime-scene and start looking for clues. They find a breadcrumb trail of clues around the body and start examining the surrounding exhibits closer. I just want to point out that there were two very large blood trails which the previous detectives missed, for some reason.
The series of clues left by Sophie's Dr Seuzz-like grandpappy leads them behind a Da Vinci painting, which once moved reveals a hidden item behind it called the Fleur-de-lis. They take this important piece of evidence with them and head off to solve mysteries a-la Nancy Drew Adventures.
The two get inside Sophie's Smart Car and begin evading police. They head straight to the US Embassy where they are greeted by a French Police blockade which are searching for them. They have a small conversation about it and Langdon decides to continue his adventure with Sophie.
Surely, when you're at the point in your life that a foreign police force is searching for you bad enough to blockade your embassy (which means that the case is severe enough to damage diplomatic relations), you'd stop yourself long enough to reflect on your current decision process, but not Robert Langdon.
Then, just to wrack up the 5-star GTA wanted level, they peel away from the scene with the cops following them. This leads to a crazy car-chase through the streets of a very crowded Paris, breaking countless traffic laws and endangering people. Robert Langdon remains composed throughout this ordeal. He may not have the correct foresight into his current action's future consequences, but boy does Robert Langdon have balls of steel.
There's just so much wrong so far, and it's only the first 30mins into the movie. Tomorrow's post will go more in-depth into Langdon's terrible decision making for the latter half of the film.
Robert Langdon doesn't do what he does for Robert Langdon. Robert Langdon does what Robert Langdon does because he is Robert Langdon!
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