Cinemagoers are gearing up to decipher the code

19 May 2006

Dubai: Cinemagoers are looking forward to the opening of The Da Vinci Code in the UAE's cinemas even though the film has been slammed by critics.

UAE censors have passed the controversial Tom Hanks movie and it will debut on May 31 with an age 15 certificate.

Huge publicity has surrounded the $125 million (about Dh460 million) production, which is based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel.

As reported in Gulf News yesterday, the film has been described as "cursory and rushed", "stodgy" and "exceedingly literal-minded" by critics.

Dubai resident Xernes Martinez, 27, a hotel assistant catering manager from the Philippines, said he was keen to see the film despite the critics' verdict.

"I would like to see it because it's intriguing, even though it is fiction. I would rather criticise it myself than listen to what the critics say. I want to be able to see whether it's good or not," he said.

He said the religious subject matter was "sensitive" the film centres on claims that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child with her but Martinez, a Christian, said this would not put him off watching the movie.

Georgina Moore, 35, a public relations account manager from Australia, said she too was planning to watch the film.

"When there is this much hype, you don't want to miss out. The publicity also makes me want to read the book as well and I will try to do that before the film is released," she said.

British accountant David Black, 31, said, however, that he was not planning a visit to his local cinema for The Da Vinci Code.

"People have been saying I should read the book and watch the film because of the theory about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but it's all fiction.

"I don't think the film will change the world of cinema or be a failure it will be somewhere in between. I won't be seeing it there are a lot of other films I would rather see," he said.

Empire International, The Da Vinci Code's UAE distributor, had originally thought of releasing the film on Wednesday next week, but this was put back a week to May 31 to avoid a clash with the premier of another huge movie, X-Men: The Last Stand.

Kifah Ghraizi, Operations Manager for Empire, said the film had been passed with just one small cut.

He added: "It should be a big audience because everybody is asking about the movie. We have received lots of calls."