Controversial as it may seem, the film, Angels & Demons is still in my list of anticipated must-sees for this year. Having read the prequel to The Da Vinci Code novel, and finding it more engaging, one couldn’t help but go through the same eagerness on how the book will transition into film. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist, who once again has to rely on his book and street smarts. Still portraying the same geeky charm, Hanks delivered a believable scholar who surprisingly can also throw a punch. The whodunit caper brings them across Rome as they unravel the culprit.

Released as a sequel to The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons is helmed by director, Ron Howard once again, who had taken positive liberties to the film. One could see a more relaxed and more confident Robert Langdon. I’m satisfied that they chose well to have Ayelet Zurer play Vittoria Vetra, a female character that has the perfect blend of intelligence, quiet strength, and feistiness. I can’t help but wish that she has to be the “one” for Langdon or Dan Brown wouldn’t have created her. If you are waiting to see Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca in the film, he has been replaced by the Irish Camerlengo Patrick McKenna to accommodate Ewan McGregor’s Scottish background. This is the only apparent change in the movie that other novel fanatics might question. Although, I found that change unnecessary, it doesn’t really affect the overall movie experience.

The story is as exhilarating as I imagined it would be. The Illuminati angle pretty much launched the plot of the film with a stop-at-nothing objective to exact vengeance on the Catholic Church. With four kidnapped cardinals, favorite candidates for the ongoing conclave, Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra raced across Rome, following an ancient Path of Illumination to save the cardinals AND somehow find the stolen antimatter. Mr. Gray, the assassin, remains two steps ahead most of time, so frustrating that I couldn’t wait for Robert Langdon to finally confront him in the fourth altar of Science.

Angels & Demons is meant to be enjoyed as any thrilling murder mystery. Despite the religious and science conflict of the film, my faith didn’t feel threatened at all. As Tom Hanks said, he was just there to solve the murder.
  

Movie Statistics:
Directed by Ron Howard
Produced by Brian Grazer, John Calley
Written by David Koepp (Screenplay), Akiva Goldsman, Dan Brown (Novel)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor
Music by Hans Zimmer
Cinematography: Salvatore Totino
Editing by Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Studio: Imagine Entertainment
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Released on May 15, 2009
Duration: 138 min.
Country: United States
Language: English
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closeAuthor: Aarti Bhardwaj
Name: Aarti Bhardwaj

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