During the 2006 adaptation of Dan Brown’s wildly successful best-seller “The Da Vinci Code,” Tom Hanks’ brilliant character continually delivers complicated dialogue to explain the overly dense plot to viewers.
For many, myself included, the result seemed like too much talk and not enough action.
That’s certainly not the case with “Angels & Demons,” also based on a novel by Brown and featuring the return of Hanks as Harvard University symbologist/adventurer Robert Langdon.
The ticking-bomb thriller, directed by Ron Howard, who also helmed “The Da Vinci Code,” briskly moves along as Langdon is drafted by the Vatican to help stop the Illuminati, an ancient group that long ago opposed the Catholic Church due to some of its objections to scientific discovery. When the current pope dies, four cardinals become the primary candidates for becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, but they disappear and one by one start being murdered by painful primitive methods designed to throw the Vatican into a chaotic state.
In addition, the lethal members of the Illuminati steal a canister of unstable antimatter capable of leveling the Vatican and beyond.
With only a few hours until the antimatter explodes, Langdon is joined by a physicist (Ayelet Zurer of “Vantage Point”) and uses his knowledge to break codes, figure out Illuminati hiding spots, and solve a whodunit.
The huge international success of “The Da Vinci Code,” which grossed more than $750 million worldwide, guaranteed a follow-up.
With his $125 million budget, Howard delivers an old-school Hollywood movie with impressive production designs, huge crowd scenes and strong supporting players. Those include Ewan McGregor (“The Island”) as a young priest with close ties to the late pope, Stellan Skarsgard (“Ronin”) as a Vatican security official with control issues, and Armin Mueller-Stahl (“Eastern Promises”) as a church official with an eye on the papacy.
The PG-13 picture becomes an involving conspiracy thriller in which McGregor’s character declares that the church is “at war” and that no one can be trusted. Those comments lend some urgency to “Angels & Demons,” but by the end, it turns into an Agatha Christie-like mystery with some mildly surprising twists.
Although not providing much of a cinematic jolt, “Angels & Demons” should satisfy adult viewers who have been seeking a cinematic offering that didn’t feature a Marvel Comic character or the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Postscript: In 2006, some church officials and groups protested “The Da Vinci Code” due to its controversial plot about Jesus’ bloodline. “Angels & Demons,” which follows a mystery-thriller path, doesn’t seem nearly as controversial and contains some pro-Catholic dialogue that stresses the good works done by the church and the dedication of the vast majority of Vatican officials.
FILM REVIEW
“Angels & Demons”
Grade: B
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard and Armin Mueller-Stahl; screenplay by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman, based on the novel by Dan Brown; produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and John Calley; directed by Howard.
22 Ratings (Avg 2.18)
