10 "Controversial" Movies That Didn't Deserve All The Hype

9. The Da Vinci Code

The controversy: Members of the Vatican, Opus Dei (a Catholic organisation featured in the movie) and China's Catholic community (China eventually pulled the film, after Chinese Catholic groups protested it) all spoke out against Ron Howard's adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, in particular on its portrayal of a conspiracy within the church to cover up the truth about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. For good measure, the film was banned in a number of countries upon release. The reality: The initial reaction to The Da Vinci Code would suggest it's one of the most viciously scandalous films of all time regarding the Christian faith, but here's the kicker: Howard's film is actually one of the dullest 'thrillers' to come out of Hollywood in the last decade. It's only likely to make an impact on the few people who can muster the energy to listen in and actually make it to the end. Even then, what the film has to say about Christianity isn't exactly groundbreaking: almost 20 years earlier, Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation Of Christ had already suggested Jesus Christ was in fact susceptible to human flaws, and that Mary Magdalene was his object of desire. The most controversial thing about The Da Vinci Code is that the filmmakers made a bestseller into something so tiresome.