Angels and Demons

The release of the new Ron Howard film Angels and Demons has been discussed since The Da Vinci Code (Ron Howard) appeared on the big screen back in 2006. The books of the same names by Dan Brown have been popular for over half a decade now, so naturally anticipation for both films was high. Sadly The Da Vinci Code was a huge let down. But did Angels and Demons do any better?

Since reading the novels, I always preferred Angels and Demons (which was written first by the way, but overshadowed due to the controversy of the Code’s plot line) to The Da Vinci Code. I believed it was a superior story, and better written. The same is true for the film. Angels and Demons is what The Da Vinci Code should have been. From the opening scene the film appears well-made, well-edited, and well-acted. The story grips the viewer from the beginning, and doesn’t slow down. That being said, the film does not overlook its characters and indulge in an all-out guns-blazing action adventure (à la Indiana Jones). Tom Hanks is near perfect as Robert Langdon, and even though I wasn’t thrilled when I heard he had scored the role back in ’06, he convinced me in this film that he was the right choice. Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting, Mamma Mia) stars as Richter, and is formidable and convincing...but the star of the night has to go to Ewan McGreggor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. From the moment he appears on screen he has your attention, communicating the emotional moments brilliantly and bringing legitimate emotion to what is a somewhat contrived plot.

The film centres around the kidnapping of four Cardinals on the night the Vatican is set to elect a new Pope. This same night, an ancient cult known as the Illuminati also plant a “bomb” somewhere in Vatican City, which is set to go off at midnight after all four Cardinals (the four favourites for the Papacy) have been murdered...one every hour, starting at 8pm. Robert Langdon, as a professor of symbology, is called in to help the Vatican Police track down the kidnapper before this disaster can unfold. As I said earlier, some moments in the film (particularly the ending) are quite far-fetched, but somehow the film manages to keep the audience in touch with the story. The murder scenes are gruesome, but more psychologically so than actual physical gore. And at the heart of the story is the topical and relevant question of faith versus science. The film is theologically intelligent without being too high-brow for the general film-going public. Some of the effects are dazzling as well, again, particularly at the very end of the film. Rome serves as the perfect backdrop to the story, communicating its rich history as a compliment to the plot.

All in all, it is a pretty well-done film. It doesn’t stick strictly to the plot of the novel, but they pull it off convincingly. Don’t expect it to win any Oscars®, but Angels and Demons is definitely an enjoyable ride, punctuated with touching emotional pieces. It is a great improvement on The Da Vinci Code. Director Ron Howard has redeemed himself with this film.

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