My summer movie season will be made or broken this weekend. The highly anticipated “The Da Vinci Code” opens Friday and brings a slew of emotions with it. Some, like myself, have been looking forward to the big-screen adaptation since it was announced a year-and-a-half ago. Others are anxious for a different reason.

“The Da Vinci Code” may be one of the most exciting and intriguing movies this summer season, ranking itself with other sure-fire releases, such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “X-Men” sequels. It is also the most controversial release theaters will see.

Some churches are holding special services to dispel the myths Dan Brown purported in “The Da Vinci Code,” mainly that Jesus Christ fathered a son with Mary Magdalene, an idea that challenges traditional Christianity.

I understand the controversy surrounding the movie and why people would protest. However, for a couple hours this weekend I will put aside my personal beliefs as I watch the movie. I look neither to condemn nor condone the idea of “The Da Vinci Code” or people’s feelings toward it.

Personally, I’m most excited about the film simply because I thought Brown’s book was a thrilling story. But that’s all it is, and that’s how it should be treated. A story. Take it or leave it, “The Da Vinci Code” is classified as fiction, and even Tom Hanks, who plays Robert Langdon in the film version, calls it “hooey,” although I claim it will be a very entertaining hooey.

Perhaps unfairly, I’m using this film as my thermometer for the rest of the summer season.

If the big-screen version fares well, it bodes well for the rest of the summer releases. If such a prestigious project fails? Well, it’s only four months until award-season movies begin.

That’s a tall order to fill, but I am expecting the movie to have the elements necessary to do it. Besides the usual summer blockbuster prerequisites of danger and a car chase, “The Da Vinci Code” has the added element of a volatile cover-up, all set against a beautiful backdrop of European architecture and art. It’ll be like a mini vacation, only with murder and deceit.

My review will appear Tuesday, and hopefully my reflections will show that director Ron Howard has helped create a film that’s a feast for the eye and mind.

Codes are always a draw to people because of their captivating power of the unknown, and this is just a very large and extended one. With any luck, he’s found the key to “The Da Vinci Code”: The suspense and intrigue of Brown’s story.