Based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel, Angels and Demons improves on the formula director Ron Howard adapted for The Da Vinci Code a few years ago. The action and suspense are ratcheted up a notch for this sequel, sacrificing what little depth the novel had in favour of edge-of-your-seat thrills and fist clenching tension.
The "follow the hidden symbols" plot will be familiar to anyone who saw The Da Vinci Code, but this time a secret organization is threatening to destroy the Vatican during the election of a new Pope. Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called in to decipher the clues left behind by the secret society, despite having run afoul of the Catholic Church in the first film. With the help of sexy scientist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), Langdon runs around Rome following a secret path laid out by an ancient cult in a race to save the city from certain destruction and prevent the murders of several powerful Cardinals.
To truly enjoy Angels and Demons you'll want to replace your brain with a big bag of buttery popcorn and just go along for the ride. Thought is your enemy when you enter the world of symbologist Robert Langdon (hint: symbologist isn't even a real job). In order to keep the audience from using too much grey matter Howard keeps the story moving along at a breakneck pace, from the visually stunning opening sequence in the C.E.R.N. Large Hadron Collider to the action packed finale in Vatican Square, the excitement never slows long enough to allow the absurdity to sink in. Then, once you leave the theatre, it's recommended that you resist the urge to dissect what you've witnessed and just be happy that you were entertained while the lights were off.
Dan Brown doesn't let reality get in the way of a good story, so if you're a stickler for science, history, geography or facts in general you'll be deeply frustrated by this film. But if you're just looking for a good reason to turn off your brain, watch some pretty pictures flicker past your eyes and forget your worries for a few hours then Angels and Demons will do the trick.
(Sony)The "follow the hidden symbols" plot will be familiar to anyone who saw The Da Vinci Code, but this time a secret organization is threatening to destroy the Vatican during the election of a new Pope. Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called in to decipher the clues left behind by the secret society, despite having run afoul of the Catholic Church in the first film. With the help of sexy scientist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), Langdon runs around Rome following a secret path laid out by an ancient cult in a race to save the city from certain destruction and prevent the murders of several powerful Cardinals.
To truly enjoy Angels and Demons you'll want to replace your brain with a big bag of buttery popcorn and just go along for the ride. Thought is your enemy when you enter the world of symbologist Robert Langdon (hint: symbologist isn't even a real job). In order to keep the audience from using too much grey matter Howard keeps the story moving along at a breakneck pace, from the visually stunning opening sequence in the C.E.R.N. Large Hadron Collider to the action packed finale in Vatican Square, the excitement never slows long enough to allow the absurdity to sink in. Then, once you leave the theatre, it's recommended that you resist the urge to dissect what you've witnessed and just be happy that you were entertained while the lights were off.
Dan Brown doesn't let reality get in the way of a good story, so if you're a stickler for science, history, geography or facts in general you'll be deeply frustrated by this film. But if you're just looking for a good reason to turn off your brain, watch some pretty pictures flicker past your eyes and forget your worries for a few hours then Angels and Demons will do the trick.
