Are you anti-Catholic Mr. Langdon? (Angels and Demons (DVD))

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	Angels and Demons (DVD)
Date:	05/09/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy watching, entertaining

Disadvantages: Lots of plot holes

Film only review.


Synopsis

The European centre the nuclear research initiates the large hadron collider and manages to capture three vials of antimatter. Whilst at the same time the Catholic Church is mourning the loss of Pope Pius XVI, and the papal conclave is due to begin soon. As with every conclave St Peters Square is crowded with well-wishers, nuns, and priests.

The illuminati however have kidnapped the four most likely candidates for the new pope. They have also planted one of the vials of antimatter within the grounds of the Vatican and are threatening to destroy the Vatican and everyone within its vicinity, meaning the thousands of people in the square would be wiped out. The Vatican calls in symbologist Robert Langdon, and the person responsible for creating the antimatter Vittoria Vetra in an attempt to save the Cardinals and recover the antimatter before it's too late.

Cast

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon
Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Ayeley Zurer as Vittoria Vetra


My thoughts

I quite enjoyed the film, I thought it transferred from book to the big screen far better than the da Vinci Code.

Acting wise Tom Hanks does is usual excellent job although it would have made more sense to do the films in order so that Tom didn't look considerably older in events that occurred before the da Vinci Code.

Ayeley Zurer does a reasonable job as Langdon's sidekick, although for a woman so knowledgeable in physics she came across as rather dim-witted. And I don't recall thinking that of her character whilst reading the book.

The production team had done an excellent job with the sets considering the Catholic Church would not allow them access to any areas of the Vatican, this is hardly surprising considering the controversy that surrounded the da Vinci Code. But I don't believe the Catholic Church came out of this film looking as foolish as they did the first film.

I did find the storyline somewhat unbelievable even in the book but when seeing it on screen; it took unbelievable to a whole new height. For instance when Langdon is in St Peters Square it's highly implausible that he would have been able to find the picture on the floor of the Angel blowing the five winds with thousands of people standing around and on it, let alone it be so clear cut. And later in the film I find it incredible that two policemen could be shot (even with a silenced gun) and dragged into a van with so many people milling around, yet nobody saw or heard a thing, even Langdon who was staring straight at the van.

But even with these plot holes the film still made for enjoyable watching. It's one of those films where if you suspend your disbelief you will enjoy it, however if you are the sort of person who demands accuracy in a film then I would imagine that you would be sitting there groaning at 70% of what happens.

If you watched the da Vinci Code and found it to be rather lacking but acceptable, then you will probably enjoy this film because in my opinion the better of the two, although neither of them are a patch on the books.

Summary: Good fun, not to be taken seriously