'Faith is a gift that I have yet to receive!' (Angels and Demons (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Angels and Demons (DVD)
Date:	24/09/09 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast paced and entertaining, good acting and direction on the whole

Disadvantages: Zurer underused, too long, change of nationality of Camerlengo

I was caught up in the whole Dan Brown mass marketing phenomenon when The Da Vinci Code was first published. I then proceeded to read the rest of his books, and couldn't wait for the film of this first book to come out. Sadly, the film didn't live up to the hype of how good it was supposed to be. I was really hoping that Angels and Demons, although not as good a book, would prove to be a better film than The Da Vinci Code was.

Having a look at the length of the film didn't encourage me much. At over 2 hours long, I had to take a deep breath and hope the well written formula in the book would be well transferred onto film.

It started off well enough, introducing the tale without much meandering. As the Vatican prepares to mourn the death of one Pope and vote for another, the four Preferiti (the four most likely to become the new Pope) are kidnapped, along with the threat of their murders at preordained times throughout the night. The kidnapper? Supposedly someone operating under the guise of an ancient religious sect, the Illuminati.

The Vatican sends for two people. The first is Robert Langdon, due to his success in preventing disaster and solving murder in the Da Vinci Code, and the symbolic and historical nature of the Illuminati, along with their cryptic clues as to where the murders will take place.

The second person is scientist Vittoria Vettra, who is one of two people who have successfully created a large container of antimatter, a highly volatile substance that is supposed to be how Creation began. The key factor of this is that the antimatter has been stolen by the Illuminati, and one hour after the last murder, it will be released, causing a cataclysmic explosion that will rock the Vatican and half of Rome.

Cue fast running and car chases around the Vatican as Langdon and Vettra team up with some Vatican police to thwart the religious cult murderer and prevent half the place being blown to smithereens. However, they must break the codes, solve the riddles and rely on the secrets of the Vatican itself in order to be successful.

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Langdon, and does so very well. He gives a good portrayal of a man reaching his middle ages who is more of an academic than an action kind of guy. As they're rushing around the place, he appears out of breath and doesn't act the hero, choosing to hide and cower at moments, while not being completely pathetic. Hanks' acting style lends itself well to this role, and I felt he did a good job.

The role of Vittoria Vettra was played by Ayelet Zurer. I don't know whether it was her fault or that of the screenplay writer or that of the director, but she seemed to have little or no impact on the film. I understand Dan Brown's formula of having the lead character supported by someone of the opposite sex for the purposes of the 'investigation', but the book made her presence seem necessary while the film had her as more of a spare part. There was just nothing to the role, really.

As a duo of supporting actors, Ewan MacGregor and Stellan Skarsgard were very concvincing. Skarsgard plays the chief of the Swiss guard, and does so effortlessly, providing that all too familiar interfering authority figure that makes you want to throw something at the screen, and while MacGregor's irish accent is dodgy and sketchy throughout, his turn as the Camerlengo is played with his usual panache and style.

The remainder of the cast do well, and while there are no particular stand out performances, they all deserve a round of applause for a job well done.

So, the film clicked completely then, did it? Well, not exactly. For a start, my previous concerns about its length were well founded. While I'm sure the elements that were contained in the film were all vital to the tale, it dragged at times, and labouring on the part of descriptions and historical scenes were something I felt director Ron Howard could probably have reduced significantly.

Also, I didn't understand the need to change the nationality of the Camerlengo. In the book, he was an Italian man, Carlo Ventresca, whereas the film showed him as the Irish Patrick McKenna. This, to me, made no sense, and was an unnecessary change. It bugged me a bit, particularly as MacGregor seemed to have as much trouble with an Irish accent as he probably would have done with an Italian one.

Barring this and a bit of overdramatisation at times, I felt it was a thoroughly enjoyable film. There are a couple of twists along the way, and their predictability depeneds on how much attention you pay to things, really. If you have already read the book, then you'll know what they are, but if not, then they're well worth waiting for. Brown certainly does his twists well in his tales.

So, do I recommend the film. Yes, I most certainly do. It's not without its flaws, for sure, but it's not deserving of some of the harsh criticism is has received. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. The only things I would change would be the length of the film and the changing of the nationality of the Camerlengo. Othe than that, a nicely done film. Hopefully, they'll go for filming Brown's other books as well.

I received the DVD as a Lovefilm postal rental. The DVD had no extras. It is currently available from amazon.co.uk for £9.98. It's well worth giving a go.

Summary: Fast paced thriller: improvement on Da Vinci Code