AMB Reviews

Angels And Demons: 8.5/10 Stars

Release Date: May 15, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material. Two men are burned alive. One man nearly drowns. We see a rotting corpse with a rat chewing on the remains. Another man is seen dead, lying in a pool of blood. Several other men are shot. There is a huge explosion that knocks down part of a large building. A man is briefly seen dead with his eye gouged (we also briefly see the lone eyeball lying on the ground). Several tense moments.

Review:

I never watched "The Davinci Code." So why did I see "Angels And Demons?" That's a good question. But for some reason or the other, this one looked different, somehow better in a way. So, I said "what the heck" and gave it a shot...

In Short:

"Angels And Demons" tells the story of Robert Langdon, who is assigned by the Catholic Church to help solve the mystery of four kidnapped priests. Finds out, an old organization called the Illuminati is bent on destroying the Catholics by placing a bomb somewhere inside the Vatican walls. Now, with time running out, it's up to Robert Langdon and scientist, Vittoria Vetra, to find the bomb and save the Catholics before time runs out. Or something like that. Let me first tell you that if you enjoyed "Indiana Jones" or "National Treasure," you'll probably enjoy this. It's a suspenseful roller coaster ride, leading us to ancient crypts, old cathedrals and deathly catacombs. What am I saying? "Angels And Demons" is utterly fascinating.

In Full:

When Rome's pope dies of a supposed stroke and four of its priests are kidnapped, the Vatican police call in Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra, hoping they can help. What they discover, is that within several hours, all four of the priests will be murdered and that at the stroke of midnight, a bomb will destroy the whole Vatican church in Rome. Now, in a race against time, Robert and Vittoria must figure out various secrets and clues before it's too late. I really had no idea what the storyline was walking into the theater, but found it very suspenseful, intense, at times violent, and very entertaining.

The acting was also great. Many I know say that Tom Hanks is a great actor, but I had never really seen him in much, other than "Big" and "Toy Story." In this, he plays a very melancholy, intelligent, and anxious man and accomplishes it very nicely. He was the perfect one for the role. Also included in the cast are Ewan McGregor and Ayelet Zurer, who I both found splendid. With such a complex and intricate storyline, it's critical that this film receive the best actors for the job, and I'd say that that goal was accomplished.

This being a $150,000,000 budget film, I was expecting some impressive ones. Firstly, I want to say how absolutely exquisite the scenery was. From the various ancient churches to the marvelous Rome backgrounds, I was enthralled with it from beginning to end. As for the other visuals, I found them all rather divine as well. From the underground catacombs to darkened secret tunnels, let's just say that the screen never became boring. My eyes didn't stray once.

One problem I found with the film were the occasional let downs of any bangs or jump scenes. Several times in the film, I would find myself on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting some intense chase or fight scene to take place and then it would simply stop and cut to another part. Rest assured, there were many moments that completely satisfied my craving for suspenseful adventure, but other times made me feel a bit let down.

"Angels And Demons" is, in the end, a meshed-up version of "Indiana Jones" and "National Treasure" than some weird, spiritual propaganda, like "The Davinci Code." It sends out the message that science and religion can co-exist peacefully without conflict. It's a simple yet important message that I believe our nation needs right now. It won't provoke the greatest amount of thoughts, but it brings up some important points worth looking into. It is also one heck of a ride.