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- DVD: Angels & Demons
- Rating: PG-13
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Vittoria Vetra
- Written By: Dan Brown
- Directed By: Ron Howard
- Distributor: Sony Home Entertainment
- Original Year of Release: 2009
- Extras: See Below
- Series:
Angels & Demons DVD Review
Fast Pace and More Action Can’t Save Ludicrous Plot By
Tim Janson
November 26, 2009
Tom Hanks in Angels & Demons
© Sony Home Entertainment
What you think about Angels & Demons is in part dependent on how you feel about religion and specifically the Catholic Church. And no matter how you feel about the Catholic Church one fact that cannot be denied is that groups like the Illuminati and the Freemasons have nothing on the Catholic Church when it comes to secrets and mysteries.
Director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks return to take on Dan Brown’s OTHER blockbuster novel, Angels & Demons. The plot boils down to the ages old battle between two foes: religion vs. science. A canister containing highly volatile anti-matter is stolen from a super collider facility (and boy…we sure have to hope that the security at these places is a lot better than in this film). While the College of Cardinals gathers in the Vatican to select a new pope, four of the most Cardinals most likely to be elected are kidnapped. Clues point to the Illuminati and symbologist Robert Langdon is called in to assist the head of the Swiss Guard and the Rome police. The kidnapper says that he will kill one of the Cardinals each hour and top it all off by detonating the canister which is akin to a small nuke.
It is here where the film takes off at a breakneck pace and yet stumbles at nearly every turn. Joined by Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a scientist at the super collider, Langdon figures out clues and races around Rome like it’s a scavenger hunt, tracking down various old chapels in order to try and save the Cardinals. Meanwhile the Vatican is in disarray. The Pope’s Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) finds himself at odds with the high-ranking Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl) on how to proceed with the election of the next Pope.
For much of the film Howard falls into the routine of having Langdon look smarter than everyone else by figuring out where the killer will strike next…and then having all parties race to the location, filling viewers in with more knowledge of religious art and chapel history than we ever cared to know. On the other hand, the rapid pace keeps Howard from tossing in those moments where we have to stop and ponder in awe at various secret revelations as he did so often in The Da Vinci Code”.
Tom Hanks is an outstanding actor but after two films as Langdon he seems relatively detached from his role. It’s not one you immediately identify him with…certainly not as much as, say Bachelor Party. Once again he’s paired with an actress with whom he has zero chemistry.
For a movie that’s not science fiction you are asked to suspend a lot of disbelief…such as security being so lax not only at the super collider but the Vatican as well, and an ending which I defy you to try and not laugh at the absurdity of it all. Perhaps all this could have been forgiven if it were not for the fact that just about anyone is going to figure out who the mastermind is behind the plot in the first reel. Howard also plays fast an loose with many facts…The Camerlengo is always a Cardinal and not just a priest as portrayed here and he is a member of the College of Cardinals…but hey, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
If you’re into scenery, Angels & Demons is visual candy. The architecture in and around the Vatican is simply spectacular. It’s also a far more violent film than Da Vinci, which you have to believe was intentional due to that previous sleep-inducing effort.
Extras
“Rome Was not Built in a Day” (17:30) This featurette looks at the incredible amount of work that went into recreating The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square, and other historical landmarks of Rome. The massive set for St. Peter’s Square was constructed on a parking lot in Hollywood and was large than two football fields
“Writing Angels & Demons” (10:00) This featurette explores the process of adapting of Dan Brown’s novel to the screen and the various changes that were made in the film version
“Characters in Search of the True Story” (17:00) Each of the major characters of the film are looked at in detail and the roles each plays in the story. Includes interviews with all of the major cast members.
“Cern: Pushing the Boundaries of Knowledge” Ron Howard takes a trip to the Cern Super Collider and viewers get a tour of the facility and a physics 101 education into what the facility does.
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Well I liked this film. It was my favorite film of the summer. Though perhaps the fact that I minored in art history and was really interested in the various churches of Rome helps.
But it was fast paced and intelligent and throughly entertained me.
Kara S