Angels & Demons

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Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer
Running Time: 2 hrs. 18 min.
Genres: Thriller, Adaptation, Politics/Religion and Sequel

Ron Howard is back with another adaptation of Dan Brown's book and this time too Dan is a co-producer (a smart commercially oriented trend). This movie too banks on the simple formula that was seen with the earlier movie (Da Vinci Code), rope in a bankable star (Tom Hanks), generate hype, controversy (including bans in few countries) and pit religion against science.

The movie begins with symbologist Robert Langdon being approached to trace the disappearance of four cardinals from the Vatican City. The symbologist from Harvard known for his grey cells, doesnt take much time to figure out that the grave threats to the Catholic Church and subsequent killings of these cardinals is essentialy the handiwork of a resurgent ancient secret brotherhood, evil and powerful underground society known as the Illuminati. The illuminati and their anger towards Catholic Church has its origin dated back to a 400 year old struggle when their liberal thoughts seem to have been crushed by the mighty conservative forces from the Church.

The illuminati in this modern day has hired an assasin to wreak vengeance and is armed with technological, scientific innovations in the form on antimatter to create havoc at the basilica and around, while the conclave is in progress to select the next pope. Through a maze of routes (good use of maps), hops between locations to prevent (and rarely successful) hourly killings as proclaimed by the illuminati, Langdon along with Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a beautiful and enigmatic Italian Scientist (antimatter) and Inspector Olivetti works through the thriller unearthing forces and people behind the sinister killings, with a possible insider from the Church. Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo plas a significant role, that tends to get boring at times.

All said, this movie is better than Da Vinci Code anyday and has more actions, thrills placed as well is comprehensible.

Rating: 3.5/5

Comments

  1. c.cienfuegosJuly 23, 2009 at 2:33 PM

    pitting religion against science ..nice usage...thats been a consistent imbroglio plaguing mankind over the years...two mutually exclusive domains with hardly anthing in common between them...one based on faith devoid of sound reasoning and the other based on facts which can either be proved or disproved..i hope that mr.manoj liked this movie more than da vinci not just beacause of the former's better actions and thrills ...

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