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''Religion is flawed because man is flawed.''
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.
Tom Hanks: Robert Langdon
Ron Howard's sequel to The Da Vinci Code has a battle between religion and science. Controversy from it's predecessor, is sadly extinct, Angels and Demons is more of a thriller than an actual historical revelation of mythological proportions. This is a heavy dose of shadowy secret groups, and a villain interested in serving his own paradoxical ways to the Church.
So Angels & Demons begins with our protagonist being called upon by the Vatican for help, because this time, the Pope has died. The four candidates for new pope kidnapped, and bizaare anti-matter planted somewhere in the city which is going to explode. A sect know as the Illuminati has resurfaced, after hundreds of years, responsible for stealing the anti-matter and kidnapping the cardinals.
Performance wise Tom Hanks is sadly under-used, as he reprises his role as Langdon. The lack of Ian Mckellan and Audrey Tautou from Da Vinci Code, is apparent, Ewan McGregor as the Camerlengo Patrick McKenna amused me, here we have a Scottish actor playing surprise...wait for it...an Irish priest. He does have a timid, nervous disposition which does provide laughs at times. Angels & Demons does offer originality in having a priest parachuting over the Vatican in a dizzying sequence of apocalyptic proportions. Stellan Skarsgård as Commander Richter is the supposed villain of the piece here, and Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra the female lead whom succeeds in being unmemorable throughout.
The feel of Angels & Demons is not one which its title might suggest. It has no physical angels or demons to tantalize us with, the title represents religion and science in conflict with each other. Religion being a traditionalist unchanging humanistic matter of faith and Science being the turbulent, change and materialistic advancement of discovery and technology. Sometimes Angels & Demons leaves an unsavory taste in ones mouth, in the sense we feel like we are on a virtual tour ride of the Vatican and it's many historical locations. Similar perhaps to Indiana Jones but lacking the fun and adventurous tendencies of the former.
One aspect I do love, is the soundtrack which offers a level of sophistication which stays with you. The proceedings are greatly boosted by the mystical, vibrant tones we are blessed with.
Plot holes appear to be rife here, with some questions or scenarios left unanswered. Who tries to suffocate Langdon in the archives? Why would anyone go through such a long winded process? Angels & Demons offers so many questions it sometimes forgets to give answers. Perhaps it wants to be too clever for its own good, perhaps it thinks it is intelligent and twists galore are present. It succeeds in being mediocre and at the end of the day people fail to care for the facts but rather for the entertainment and action. Favorably Angels & Demons offers some great chases, some horrific deaths and some glorious effects in places. Sadly there is not alot of historical revelation for shock purposes here. As for Christians, Angels & Demons is a fantastical tale of fiction, and here I agree because the story is that just of a thriller, and a fabrication of the villains whom use history for their own advantages.
Overall, Angels & Demons is an entertaining piece yet lacks the deep meaningful conclusion of it's predecessor. Dan Brown's books have made so much money from being interesting and for their conspiracies with history, yet when they are visually integrated for the big screen they sometimes lack that excitement the medium requires.
It is fun, and I admit a pleasure to watch overall, but sadly it feels like this routine Angels & Demons gives us has been done many times before.
''Our church is at war. We are under attack from an old enemy. The Illuminati. They have struck us from within and threatening us all with destruction from their new god Science.''
6/10
