`Code' watchers reject critics' views.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

Critics be damned. Area moviegoers seem to be giving "The Da Vinci Code" an enthusiastic thumbs up.

By 5:30 p.m. Friday, the Cinemark theater in Springfield had sold out three of the day's showings, and a number of those who saw the controversial film said they'd recommend it to their friends.

Hugh Massengill said he avoided all the hoopla and controversy surrounding "The Da Vinci Code" so he could experience the film, which opened in theaters Friday, without any preconceived notions.

Massengill hadn't read the book, but he found the characters interesting, the plot engaging and the issue raised by the story compelling.

Based on Dan Brown's immensely popular 2003 novel, "The Da Vinci Code" is a murder mystery, but the fictional story suggests an alternate version of Jesus' life - that he married Mary Magdalene and that they had children. The book and film have drawn criticism from religious groups who worry that the factual elements in the story - real organizations, accurate settings, Leonardo Da Vinci's famous paintings - will add credibility to the fictional elements.

Massengill found it believable, for example, that a religious organization could work so hard to guard a secret for hundreds of years. At the same time, he thought the film treated Catholicism respectfully.

"I don't understand people who think it knocks the Catholic faith," he said.

Critics generally have panned the film. On Friday morning, the Web site Rotten Tomatoes, which links to hundreds of reviews by professional critics, listed 105 "Da Vinci Code" reviews: 87 negative and 18 positive.

"The most controversial thriller of the year turns out to be about as exciting as watching your parents play Sudoku," wrote Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post.

Ouch.

But Mary and Barry Flast think that's a little harsh. The Eugene couple, who went to an early show on Friday afternoon, both thought the film worth seeing.

Mary, who had read the book and is Catholic, said she was disappointed that some of the historical details in the book didn't make their way on screen.

She didn't find the story offensive and she thought many Catholic women would appreciate it. "We've always had to search between the lines for our place in the church," she said.

But Barry, who hadn't read the book and is Jewish, loved the film.

"I thought the movie was brilliant," he said. "The questions it raised were mind boggling."

The couple, who have visited the Louvre, Paris' famous art museum, particularly enjoyed the parts of movie set there and praised the film's cinema- tography.

For Christian Henderson, a Lane Community College student, the film presented an intriguing look at some of the world's most famous art. Henderson, who was raised a Christian, said the notion that Jesus may have been married was not a new one to him, but he didn't think the film advanced that possibility beyond mere speculation.

"It's fictional," he said, "and it doesn't change my faith."

Henderson said he hadn't read the book, but was familiar with some of the controversies surrounding the story.

"I think it could be offensive to some people, but I wasn't offended," he said.

It will be Monday before reports on the film's weekend take at the box office will be available, but one Web site that keeps track of such data, Boxofficemojo.com, predicts it will bring in $70 million from Friday through Sunday.

CAPTION(S):

The poster for "The Da Vinci Code."