Don't believe the hype - or the movie reviews...

An avid reader, I've been hugely annoyed at my inability to get past the first chapter of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

I've tried on three occassions over the last 18 months and it just didn't hold my attention.

However, after seeing the movie this afternoon, I can see why the rest of the book-reading world might have been hooked.

I know the movie has been panned more than praised, but as a newcomer to the intricacies of the plot, I was absolutely hooked. And late for a work as a consequence - the movie is almost three hours long.

My only issue was the monk. I'm sure I'm not giving the game away by saying that he's a pretty sinister character throughout the piece, and appears for the most part in full length brown robes. Unfortunately, the ABC in Australia released Da Kath and Kim Code last December - a 90 minute Kath and Kim special peppered with Da Vinci Code references. Oh, and Barry Humpries as the mad monk, running around Fountain Lakes in a brown hotel bathrobe.

This flashback had me stiffling giggles each time the monk appeared on screen.

It may be the Catholic upbringing and schooling in me, but I was hooked. Go see it.