“I did an unusual thing with regard to this book. Halfway through, I said to myself, "Somebody MUST have made a movie of it; it's such an obvious choice." So I checked Netflix and they had it. I got it, I watched it, and I reviewed it all before I finished the book. http://movieaddictssharing.multiply.com/reviews/item/989 So in finishing the book, I had the movie for reference.
Some movies change even the eventual outcome of the story in translating from the book to the screen. While there were some drastic changes, I can now report that the overall point to the story is the same. I almost always appreciate books better than movies, although I like having visual images to help me sort out the characters and locations. In this case, one of the main characters' name has been changed, and others do not even appear at all in the movie. I think I will not comment on whether the changes are good or bad, because I must constantly remind myself that book readers and movie goers are different audiences, even where there is significant overlap.
For those who loved "The DaVinci Code" and other similar stories about archeology that has major impact on the modern world, this is a delicious feast. The details are accurate as far as I can tell, and the issues are of suitably world-shaking importance. I'm not really satisfied that in the end, the characters did what I would have done, but that is not to say they did not do the right thing from a wider point of view. I'll leave that to you to decide.
I want to point out that there is another, quite different, book by Michael Jecks also called "The Last Templar." I read it years ago, and it's on my wish list of books worth reading again.”
