More on Dan Brown

I was reading an article in Slate describing how Dan Brown says he structures his thrillers. Here's an excerpt--

Brown has done a lot of thinking about what makes a successful Dan Brown thriller. He has found that it requires a few essential elements: some kind of shadowy force, like a secret society or government agency; a "big idea" that contains a moral "grey area"; and a treasure. The treasures in Brown's four novels have been a meteorite, anti-matter, a gold ring, and the Holy Grail. The shadowy forces have included the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, and the National Security Agency. The big idea, if I'm reading him correctly, goes something like this: Is the Vatican good … or is it evil? Is the National Security Agency for us … or is it against us? When all of Brown's elements come together, doled out over cliffhanging chapters, with characters that exist to "move the plot along," it is like mixing the ingredients to make a cake.

Our film seems to fit neatly into this formula. The shadowy force is Ben's unseen adversary--"The Tradition." The big idea is the conflicting medieval and modern world views. The treasure is the perpetual motion device. Now, pass the eggbeater.