Angels & Demons
BY Ryan LaMarca / 2009-05-18
The summer movie season continues this third weekend of May with Ron Howard's prequel to the 2006 monster smash hit "The Da Vinci Code." And it is my pleasure to say that the new "Angels & Demons" is a much needed improvement over its predecessor. In a way, it is actually more probable and believable than "The Da Vinci Code," but then again, "The Da Vinci Code" could have made even the strangest science fiction movie look plausible. All that really matters, though, is that "Angels & Demons" is a great summer movie.
Following the death of the Pope, the Vatican's top four cardinals, those most likely to become the next Pontiff, are kidnapped. Notes are found referencing the Illuminati, an old enemy of the Catholic Church. To decipher the messages, the Church seeks the aid of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks). He is joined by physicist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) who reveals that an experimental and unstable sample of antimatter was stolen from her laboratory. Through a series of messages, Langdon discovers that the antimatter will explode at midnight destroying the Vatican and half of Rome in the process unless he can find it first and stop it.
"Angels & Demons" suits the screen more naturally than "The Da Vinci Code." Most importantly, its plot is confined. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and follows its direction well. And because the story is restricted, it allows for a better cohesive narrative. "Angels & Demons" follows the classic concept of a race against the clock, and it's about as pulse pounding and exciting as one could expect and hope for. Something of great value, the Vatican, is at stake, and things start to get tense.
Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, the skeptical symbol expert who has been dying for a chance to get into the Vatican Archives to do research. After dozens of denied petitions to gain access, the worm has turned and the church now needs Langdon's assistance. Although Mr. Hanks is a gifted performer, his long winded and monotonous explanations of the never ending supply of symbols ultimately serves as a detriment to the movie's ability to keep a mood of suspense alive in certain scenes.
But in that regard, Mr. Hanks plays Langdon as the straight man. He has no time for nonsense and is quite serious about his work. This works well when he's put to work with the new leading lady Vittoria Vetra, a much more interesting character than Sophie Neveu from "The Da Vinci Code" ever was. When the two of them are doing research in the Vatican Archives, their methods clash as Vittoria rips a page right out of an original Galileo text. Ouch!
Moreover, we see barely any room for character development in this nearly two and a half hour movie. The story is so involving that it actually takes all this time to get through it. There's little to no exposition and only a smidgeon of background on Langdon. Nothing more of him is revealed until "The Da Vinci Code," where if I recall correctly, not much of him was made known either. But in spite of this, Mr. Hanks makes us feel like we already know everything we need to know about Langdon by just playing him as the scholarly Harvard symbologist.
Another delightful addition to the cast is Ewan McGregor who plays the Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, the late Pope's personal assistant. Unlike some of his co-stars, Mr. McGregor nails the role down and makes you fully believe in him. Because Mr. McGregor plays him quite dynamically with a wide range of style and emotion, he becomes a major boon to the film.
Additionally, "Angels & Demons" is packed with the luscious scenery of Rome and the Vatican, as well as some haunting and disturbing imagery. When it comes to the story, Dan Brown packs his plot with so many twists and turns. I had my suspicions right from the start, and low and behold, they came to fruition. One too many red herrings tended to unravel the mystery for me, but it was still all good fun trying to outguess myself at every corner.
And better yet, unlike "The Da Vinci Code," "Angels & Demons" has a means of resolving itself in the end. By the end of the movie, the plot had settled itself and there was a sense of closure, even ending on a high note. That's quite a contrast to "The Da Vinci Code," a movie that ended with such an uneasy feeling as if nothing at all had been accomplished.
Those not familiar with Dan Brown's novels will still be able to enjoy the brisk and stirring adventure packed inside "Angels & Demons" as much as those well versed in the original books. "Angels & Demons" succeeds in not only surpassing its predecessor in almost every facet, but by simply adding one more feather in Ron Howard's hat as a director.
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