The DaVinci Code gave us, the public, quite the shock with such antagonizing views against the Catholic Church that made us question faith and organized religion as a whole. Then, we realized it was a fiction conspiracy story no more elusive than the Bourne series. Silly us...now we have the follow up to Robert Langdon's atheistic ventures with yet another unholy happening in a holy setting: the death of a pope in Vatican City. But wait, there's more! The large Hadron collider in Sweden now plays a role in this yarn of Yahweh...so does Angels & Demons connect on a more personal and interesting level?
Well, if you've seen/read The DaVinci Code (or ever participated in an Easter egg hunt) then there's not too much to look forward here.
First off, the pope dies in Vatican City and its time to choose a new one...but who? As a congregation of cardinals discusses candidates, 4 of the top choices are subsequently kidnapped (along with a vial of antimatter from the Hadron complex).
Quick side-note on antimatter, if it comes into contact with, literally, anything, it will cause "violent" disturbances in our space. Its suspended in a vacuum-tight capsule which the kidnappers use as their threatening weapon in Vatican, much like a bomb, if their demands aren't met (along with killing the 4 kidnapped candidates for the papacy).
Who better to decrypt the mysterious threats and save the day than Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks)? Oh, yeah, the physicist who holds the secrets to destroying the world via rapid atomic collision, Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer). Alas, our story begins when Dr. Langdon is summoned to the Vatican to follow the legacy of the fabled "Illuminati" from times past and locate the 4 papal successors, along with the devastating device of doom, and save the world from disarray, accompanied by the Vatican police and Vittoria.
Well, Angels & Demons certainly kept up with the pacing of DaVinci Code, in the sense that its relatively relentless in its "Hurry before the Rapture ensues!" timing. Tom Hanks returns as the snarky yet incredibly and conveniently lucky guesser Dr. Langdon. Though, personally, I've never been a huge fan of Hanks, he returns in good form, reprising a relatively likable and entertaining character.
As for the plot, well, its based on a book so its hard to criticize the story without having read its source. However, I can say that it literally is just one humongous scavenger hunt that seems to never end. Langdon goes to a library, second-class female assistant supporting actress finds a clue, they dash to the scene which contains an angel pointing them in the direction of the next clue, OR DOES IT?! This formula gets repetitive to the point of menial chore. At one point, I found myself hammering to just get on with the ending and see who becomes the new pope. Even kids get sick of long scavenger hunts after a while...especially if the prize ultimately isn't worth it. Lucky for us, though, we don't know what our prize is!
Also, the message of combining scientific research and discovery with religious faith and credibility seems to be the big recurring message in the movie. Its warm and heartfelt, but really, it doesn't do a great job of conveying this idea emotionally (especially with all the horribly static characters, including Langdon).
Running a 2 hour and 20 minute length, Angels & Demons repeats the same formula as DaVinci code. It certainly pulls you in, like a fisher does to a hungry fish. However, after a while, that fish will get tired and probably just give up, so in this case, it depends how hungry you are for this sort of thing. If you absolutely love Dan Brown, DaVinci Code, or religious conspiracies in general, you'll probably enjoy Angels & Demons. If you less than love any of those 3 categories, than this will ultimately become a forgettable forte' into Summer blockbuster cash-in. Angels & Demons remains a "fun" movie, but perhaps not for the $7-$10 of your hard-earned cash to see something that will thoroughly entertain you in and out.
5/10
-Kyle Shelton
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