I know what you’re thinking right now: what the fuck is this mainstream shit doing on Rabbit Reviews? And to top that off: what the fuck is this religious mainstream shit doing on Rabbit Reviews. Well, it’s always good to see what the other side is doing. All joking aside, Angels and Demons is a watchable mainstream thriller featuring an excellent cast. I expected much more from this movie, probably because of all the media buzz. The story was just too mainstream, heavy-handed, and, at times, even too convoluted. I guess the novel is much better.
Yes, in case you didn’t know Angels and Demons is a movie based on Dan Brown’s novel of the same name. You don’t have to know anything about Da Vinci’s Code, a previous Dan Brown adaptation also starring Tom Hanks, to enjoy Angels and Demons. The events in this movie happen before the events in Da Vinci’s Code, so this is actually a prequel. We will be following Professor Robert Langdon and his smart sidekick Dr. Vittoria Vetra as they’re trying to get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery.
A mystery that involves secret societies, the Vatican, anti-matter, and loads of other dangerous stuff. You should know that Angels and Demons is a movie that’s quite long, two hours and ten minutes. So, just know if you decide to watch it, it’s going to eat up your whole evening. The story is quite preposterous if you look at it closely. We have this super-smart guy solving neatly placed puzzles to save the Vatican. It sounds like a religious man’s wet dream. However, it also catches a huge number of other people digging into the mysterious and esoteric side of Christianity.
Meet Robert Langdon, a Harvard-educated symbologist on a secret mission. He will join forces with a hot female scientist to save the Vatican from destruction by solving a series of complex puzzles and murders.
By combining all the buzzwords that were popular at the time, like Cern, God Particle, and always relevant religious structures, Brown created an exciting ride that will keep you interested if you’re willing not to question how most of this movie is possible. Langdon knows the answer to every question he’s asked. Also, you can see that Tom Hanks was in this for the money. He was at about 60% of his acting abilities during most of the movie. This actually helped with the atmosphere.
If you add to this stunningly gorgeous locations in various Italian cities, you’ve got yourself a forgettable thriller good for exactly one viewing. Of course, in ten years’ time, you’ll be able to watch it again as you’ll forget it even existed. Finally, I should not forget to mention that Angels and Demons has that big movie vibe. Like you’re watching a strange summer blockbuster.
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Fun Facts: The production had to build a full-size replica of the St. Peter’s Square, Vatican because they were denied access by the Vatican.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/
