Angels & Demons - An Uninspired Thriller that has its Moments

Angels & Demons
Release Date: May 15, 2009
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 138 minutes



The Slant / Well, nobody's perfect.



Angels & Demons, follow-up to The Da Vinci Code (2006), is a forgettable detective story wrapped up in church intrigue. Still, it has its moments and keeps the audience guessing, at least for the first 3/4 of the film. Eventually the conclusion becomes readily apparent and, although I won't spoil it here, ultimately dissatisfying.

Once again, we follow esteemed symbologist Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks)as he struggles to unravel a mysterious plot involving religious motifs. This time around, instead of the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar, Langdon's adversaries are the mythical Illuminati, ancient enemies of the Catholic Church. The pope has died and the Vatican is in an uproar over his successor. The Illuminati have supposedly stolen an incredibly powerful antimatter bomb, which they will use to level Vatican City to revenge the Church's past transgressions. This secret society has also kidnapped the most prominent candidates for the papacy, stating that they will kill these cardinals every hour on the hour before detonating the explosive.

Langdon is called upon to rescue the holy men and stop the bomb, with the help of the Vatican police and Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), one of the antimatter bomb's research developers. The Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor), the man in charge of the Church while the cardinals choose a new pope, promises to give his assistance to Langdon in any way possible. What follows is a race through Vatican City from the Catholic archives to ancient churches, with the life of every inhabitant of the city on the line. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

And it is...for awhile. I found myself drawn into the plot and wondering about these mysterious Illuminati. I have not read the book and thus found myself enjoying this Dan Brown adaptation more than The Da Vinci Code, since I was unsure at first where the story would ultimately end. Ultimately I found it more compelling than the previous installment. Director Ron Howard does a good job balancing the ever-present forces of science and religion, portraying Langdon as an agnostic academic and the church as progressive and open to scientific scrutiny.

The ultimate reveal at the end of the film is unsatisfying and, by that time, quite apparent. As a historian and being familiar with the painstaking hours it takes to adequately conduct archival research, I found it baffling that Langdon locates his source within 15 minutes of his search. Statues pointing the way to the Illuminati's secret hideout? If only it was that easy! Of course, it is a movie and such trivialities are not terribly important.

Less forgivable are two unnecessary scenes, one at the beginning involving the creation of the antimatter bomb and another suspenseful scene halfway through that has Langdon and a hapless guard struggling to escape the archives before their oxygen runs out. Also, do we need to see the Camerlengo berating church leadership about the necessity of bringing science and religion into harmony? I think the movie could have been improved if it stuck to its guns, following Langdon through the streets of Vatican City on a race against time. When the movie stops to take a breath, the viewer's mind wanders. The movie crams a lot into its 138 minutes, but could have been trimmed.

The casting is, for the most part, adequate and in some cases, inspired. Tom Hanks, normally an actor I enjoy greatly, has little to work with here. Langdon is a pretty flat character and not incredibly likable. Hanks does what he can with the stoic symbologist. Ewan McGregor plays the Camerlengo well and is convincing in his supporting role. He was the character I found most easy to cheer for, although I could be biased due to my unabashed adimration for McGregor's acting. Ayelet Zurer's Dr. Vittoria just seems along for the ride. The always menacing and underrated Stellan Skarsgard plays the commander of the Swiss Guard with his usual detached scowl. Armin Mueller-Stahl, who I loved in Eastern Promises, gives the best performance as a cardinal with questionable loyalties.

Go see Angels & Demons if you have already seen Star Trek and Wolverine, and are looking for an enjoyable thriller that doesn't require too much mental investment. It's worth the price of admission, but you can wait for the DVD.