Review - Angels and Demons

Whatever you think of Dan Brown's prose, his view on religion or the controversy that comes out of his work there's no denying the success of the Da Vinci Code, which brought in a profit of over $700 million. Whether this was a measure of deserved success or not, you can understand why director Ron Howard has returned to the franchise to bring us Angels and Demons.

Familiarity with Brown's books will prepare you for the film's thrills and intrigue, set this time in the papal halls of Vatican City. Tom Hanks returns in his role as Robert Langdon, the conspiracy thwarting professor of symbology, called in by the highest members of the Catholic faith in a time of great need. The pope is dead, and the Vatican are set to decide on the next pope. Langdon must find the four kidnapped prime candidates by midnight, the trail of clues he has to follow through the church's archives and artworks must also be completed in time to stop a bomb that could level the whole city.

Howard has brought together some great actors in sublime locations with a gripping plot, but he has fallen short of bringing us a great film. Tom Hanks' name lends the film credence but even his talent fails to give the lead character any depth or charisma. The supporting cast are headed by Ewan McGregor, possibly the most valued player in this production, but every other character seems to be in attendance to provide either a sounding board for Langdon's theories, or as a means for the writers to provide repetitive exposition for any viewer unable to see through the holes in the rather flimsy plot.

Hollywood gives us a view of the inner halls of the most powerful religious institution on the planet, yet it provides this treat with little grace or sincerity. We are spoiled with shots of fine art, and beautiful locations from within the heart of Rome. What we see of the church is a lot less critical than in the Da Vinci Code, a fact that got a review of “Harmless” from the Vatican's own news paper.

Then again the film's portrayal of Science is equally weak. The bomb threat that drives the focus is a convenient MacGuffin providing a sense of urgency that was missing in the earlier film. The suspected conspiracy behind the events of Angels and Demons is the Illuminati, a secretive order of Scientists. The ancient Catholic church stood against the pursuit of science, truth and reason and now the illuminated and reasonable scientists are looking to strike back with a big bomb.

Summoning up the Illuminati this way gives a name to the pursuit of knowledge and the ability to reason, providing the film with a scape goat. This villain can clearly be linked to original sin and the fall of man. The seeking of forbidden knowledge is what pulled man from God in the first place, therefore we are led to conclude the further we descend into scientific discovery the less connected mankind is to God. In contrast the church is portrayed as a spiritual set of brakes on a run away train, with McGregor defending faith as the voice of reason. He asks if man is ready to leap into the future, whether we have matured as a race enough to be trusted with God's secrets.

There are many highlights to recommend this movie, yet the only saving grace really carrying it is the hectic pace. You will need to keep your expectations low for the story to deliver it's few surprises.