ANGELS & DEMONS Review

As a big fan of Dan Brown’s novels who was disappointed by how they handled The Da Vinci Code, I say I’m quite satisfied with the adaptation of ANGELS & DEMONS. Ron Howard and his team realized the mistakes they did with the previous installment and just come out with… full blown, race against time thriller for this one. It’s a game that feeds on your curiosity and pulls you into this thought provoking ride of symbols, codes, and a secret plan driven by revenge.

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival.

I’ve read the book and yes the movie does cut out some plot and yes it adds some of its own but I wouldn’t go too critical because screenwriters David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman make sure that not only would they include just the intense moments and pivotal parts of the story but their additions also actually help in connecting one serious scene to another. I notice that after a certain revelation or whenever Langdon solves one mystery, there’s always a dialogue that breaks the ice before we go on to the next adrenaline rush scene. None of it comes off cheesy and none of it goes astray from the intellect that the characters possess whether it’d be the knowledge of symbols or the knowledge of the history of the church and its old rival, Illuminati. Those of who’ve read the book, know who the bad guy is but the movie’s clever enough to come up with ways that cause us to have second thoughts about who the bad guy might be in the end.

And just like reading Dan Brown’s novel where you’d be willing to lose sleep over it because you can’t wait to turn the page, this time Koepp and Goldsman emphasize cliffhangers where somehow you just know you gotta sit through it to see what happens next all the way to the end.
This is one of those movies in which smart is cool. You may not understand most of the things that Prof. Langdon says but the movie makes everything he says sound so intriguing that you’d want to watch it again and again just to understand it better the second time around. That’s what this movie has done successfully as opposed to The Da Vinci Code which bored us to death, we didn’t care if we ever revisit it ever.. which was sad because the book’s actually much more fast-paced than that.
ANGELS & DEMONS left out many things from the book especially a few of the far-fetched elements but I can accept some of the new things on the screen which are necessary to create that cinematic experience and it still holds on to the slim possibility that it could happen in the real world.

You can definitely tell Ron Howard’s signatures all over this movie. I’m aware that they weren’t allowed to film in certain places in Vatican city so I admire the fact that Howard and his team would go to great lengths, excellent visual effects, or using another location that resembles similar appearance or completely build something up from zero, in order to make the environment, the backdrop, the atmosphere seem convincing. The visual reminds me of what the movie Gladiator did to resurrect Collosseum like how it was when back in its prime, crowded with spectators.

I have much respect for director Salvatore Totino, his cinematography for ANGELS & DEMONS is one that cries out grand, epic, and engaging. It literally takes you into what Robert Langdon has to go through physically. When he crawls, we crawl, when he’s in the water, we’re in the water with him. Amazing work by Totino, no wonder Ron Howard keeps hiring him for his gigs. Of course you cannot forget the contribution that the great composer Hans Zimmer brought to the score for this movie. The music fits perfectly in each development leading up to the climax. There’s that one particular tune that follows our hero Langdon as you see him progress from a man of confidence to a man who realizes that he’s dealing with a group of people who don’t like with what he stands for. In a way that I can’t quite describe, Hans Zimmer’s music lets you know that you’re in the presence of something ancient, it demands your reverence and at the same time it reminds you that there’s something more to the picture than meets the eye as the characters try to outsmart and outplay their opponents who seem to always get one step ahead of them.

I always had Harrison Ford in mind to play Langdon but after this second movie, I’m beginning to think no one else but Tom Hanks could pull this off. I’m glad his hair’s back to normal and doesn’t become a distraction. Ayelet Zurer who plays the sexy genius Vittoria is full of energy, what a fantastic actress. Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo is nothing short of brilliant. He literally can fool you.
When it comes down to it, the story is about religion vs. science but the movie does a good job in showing that there’s authority conflicts and clashes.. between Langdon and the cops, between the cops and the priest, between the priest and the cardinals. This lack of trust and the mindset of ‘I do my business, you do yours and don’t try to mess with mine’ is the same type of politics and attitude applied by Science and Religion all these years. When one tries to mess with the other, then you can expect any of the party to get uncomfortable and defensive. The question of whether or not Science and Religion can compliment each other will always be argued by both sides til the end of time but ANGELS & DEMONS shows the consequences that comes with not being able to keep an open mind. Maybe Langdon should believe that God sent him there, or maybe Camerlengo should give Science a chance. Overall, it’s a thrilling movie that doesn’t let you down.

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