The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp.
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.
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"The God squad aren’t going to like this one"
It’s very rare that films based on books, especially huge best sellers, live up to the expectations of the fans. Despite the obvious visual gains – special effects nowadays creating explosions or magic beyond our wildest dreams - the plot, characterisation and general ‘feel’ of the story are inevitably lost in translation. I’d really enjoyed reading The Da Vinci Code, and had been disappointed by the movie – the mystery and intrigue of the book failing to be translated to the big screen. Luckily for me then, Angels & Demons was the one Dan Brown book that I had never read. I didn’t know of the inevitable twist that seems to be prevalent in his work, and was watching the riddles being solved with fresh eyes. And you want to know something – I really enjoyed the film!
There are a few lulls in the story where the film drags somewhat, but it soon picks up and you are thrust deep into one of the age-old battles – the Roman Catholic Church on one side, the Illuminate on the other. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon, aka the person most likely to hold the record for solving cryptic crosswords, and runs around Rome trying to stop an anti-matter bomb from blowing the Vatican sky high. Cue some truly stunning views of the Italian capital, a healthy dose of Ewan McGregor (complete with dodgy Irish accent), a twist, followed by a double twist, some really quite brutal sacrifices considering this is only a 12a rating, and quite possibly the most stunning explosion ever to grace the silver screen.
Angels & Demons is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I thought I had it all worked out, then I changed my mind, and I was still wrong. Any film that can keep me guessing like that gets my vote.