that's so funny... When I was 13, that movie really scared me... the scene with the satanic ritual and all that. I didn't know much about those things at the time, nor that the movie wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.
My Catholic brother refuses to read it. Said it would just infuriate him. You can't dismiss all criticism of the book as Christian backlash, but it could explain some strongly worded reviews.
i read the da vinci code about 2 months ago and i thought it was great. actually so good that i read angels and demons and also deception point within the next week. i don't know how much to believe but brown's pacing is excellent and it's just hard to put down.