Angels & Demons; 8 Days Left

Saturday afternoon Franny and I went to go see the movie adaptation of Angels and Demons, since we're both fans of the novel by Dan Brown, and here's what I thought about the movie. Forget all the talk about whether or not it's anti-Catholic, forget the bestseller status of the novel, forget what you saw in The Da Vinci Code. Strip all that away from your mind and you'll see Angels & Demons for what it really is: a surprisingly entertaining journey through Rome and it's beautiful scenery, and a National Treasure like adventure story. And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that.

Here's the basic story. Tom Hanks is back for his role as Robert Langdon (The Da Vinci Code), a seemingly atheist scholar and an expert on secret societies and symbols, (in particular the hidden history of the Catholic church). While the events of The Da Vinci Code have certainly not endeared Langdon to Church leadership (though Angels & Demons was written as a prequel to The Da Vinci Code it is presented as a chronological sequel) they, the Church's collective mind, see him as a "formidable" opponent and an excellent authority on elements of Church history that they themselves know very little about. So when four Cardinals are kidnapped by a group claiming to be the Illuminati, who promise to publicly execute one Cardinal per hour before bombing the entire Vatican at the fifth hour, Langdon is called in to help.

Recognizing the fact that cooperation will get him long-denied access to the Vatican archives, Langdon agrees to help and is quickly whisked away to Rome, his task being to piece together the secret pathway to the ancient Illuminati meeting place where he believes the bomb (antimatter stolen from a particle accelerator) is being stored. The path is supposed to take him through four churches, each of which will be the execution site of one Cardinal. Got that? Four churches and four dead old guys, followed by one big boom unless Langdon can figure out the puzzle and put a stop to it, to sum it all up :).

Ewan MacGregor is a fantastic choice in a key role, and turns in his typical solid work. Also strong is Stellan Skarsgaard, as the head of the Swiss Guard charged with Vatican security. While the best supporting character is the casting of Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the brutally efficient assassin hired by the behind-the-scenes villains to carry out their plot. To be a good hero you've got to have a compelling and worthy adversary, and in Lie Kaas Angels & Demons has a spectacular one.

Angels & Demons is a great big popcorn film that just wants to entertain you unlike The Da Vinci Code and it does so surprisingly well. It's very different from the book and some characters won't be familiar because names have been changed to go along with the actors portraying them. That is why going in you have to keep an open mind and realize that it's not going to be like the book because it's on a different platform. The book was supposed to keep you reading and fill your head with intellegently thought out conspiracy theories. While that is still in the film, the film's main purpose is to give viewers a turbulent experience with intense action and a beautiful backdrop. It's not the best adaptation of a book but it did reflect most of the main points in the novel. You won't be disappointed if you go watch it, but you might be if you go in with the preconceived notion that it's going to be exactly like the book.

Peace and Much Love To Ya :)