Angels & Demons Review

Over the weekend I saw Angels & Demons, the controversial film directed by Ron Howard and based on Dan Brown's book by the same name. As fans of the novel will know, Angels & Demons is a prequel to The Da Vinci Code. Tom Hanks returns (with a better haircut) once again to reprise his roll as the Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon. This movie may not be the best place to go for a history lesson, but for passable popcorn entertainment, it fills the 2 hours plus with fast-paced thrills and excitement.

The opening scene unfolds at the supercollider in Switzerland, where a slice of newly generated antimatter is stolen. If unleashed, it could blow up all of Rome. During that time the Pope has just passed away and four priests — possible papal successors — have been kidnapped. And to save the day the Vatican calls on Robert Langdon and of course the pretty female scientist, Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), who helped created the anti-matter. The two form an unlikely team who run around the Vatican trying to save the day as the four priests get picked off one by one, every hour by a group claiming to be the Illuminati, an ancient anti-clerical sect.

Though the film is a little predictable and the acting sub-par it is a lot more fun than The Da Vinci Code and packs some great intensity. The locations and scenery are incredible - it definitely heighten my love for Italy. The effects are remarkable, especially considering that most of the Vatican locations - including the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Square - were recreated using sets in Hollywood and CGI.

Grossing an estimated $48 million opening weekend Angels & Demons is nothing more than a good way to pass the time. It’s not fantastic, but it’s not as horrible as all the critics are saying. It’s been a long time since I read the book and because of that I had forgotten a lot of the main plots and twists which was really fun for me to discover all over again. Even though I felt the book was much better than the movie (haha) I also felt the film followed the book rather well - most of the original material was intact. As long as you don't think too much you'll be happy and content with Angels & Demons. Anyway, it's summer time who wants to go around thinking about stuff. ;)

RATING: B-

What did you think of this film?...