Does a good story make a good movie ?

It's very rare to be able to catch two first day first shows on the same day..yet a morning cancellation of X-MEN 3 allowed me that liberty and i could also take in THE DA VINCI CODE . By the end of the day, I stepped out content but also strangely surprised. Why?

Well, there is no need to say much on THE DA VINCI CODE novel which has been on the bestsellers list now for nearly 5 years or more. It had such an amazing plot,fact and fiction (?) mixed in that he moment the movie was announced, there was such an anticipation all over the world. Yet, while the movie remains partly loyal (say, 85 % ) to the novel, i came out..well, bored. The plot went at such a leisurely pace you just wished there was a fast forward button so many times. At 150 minutes, this movie was way too long and even Tom Hanks was uninspiring..something I never thought I'd get to see. Coming from a director who took the limp story line of A BEAUTIFUL MIND and turned it into a cinematic beauty, this was a real disappointment. Personally, I preferred Nicholas Cage's National Treasure to this movie. Yes, I'm sure it'll be a hit because of the curiosity but that's it. A classic? That title will go to the book only.
Scene to watch out for : well, the best I could think of was the explanation of the Last Supper to Sophie.. but even that's hardly inspiring or "wow".

X- Men 3 , in comparison, had a wafer thin plot. In comparison, mind you. The storyline uses a number of comic subplots that spanned many years and supresses it into less than 2 hours. The franchise was handed over to a director who's biggest hit till date is the Rush Hour series with the instruction that this would be the last X-men movie so do what you will. There was much less fanfare for it. Yet, I found this movie so much more enjoyable. Having a good idea of the characters helps, no doubt, but the imagery, visual effects and sub plots all were a notch above what I'd expected. Emotional buildup? Who cares!! The fact that key characters kept getting killed off was a bonus cause you never knew what to expect next. Personally, given the choice, I'd recommend this movie over THE DA VINCI CODE any day.
P.S. Seeing T.V's Frasier jumping around as the blue "furball" BEAST- now that's inspired casting!!!
Scene to watch out for : Too many, really. The final battle, for one..starting from the villians march across the bridge to a good 15 minutes later. When Worthington Jr reveals his wings ( in pic ) is another majestic scene.