Angels & Demons (2009)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers (WGA):

David Koepp (screenplay) and
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 May 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The holiest event of our time. Perfect for their return.

Plot:

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.

Plot Keywords:

Illuminati | Vatican | Pope | Conclave | Vatican City

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Robert Langdon
Ewan McGregor	...	Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Ayelet Zurer	...	Vittoria Vetra
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Commander Richter
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Inspector Olivetti
Nikolaj Lie Kaas	...	Assassin
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Cardinal Strauss
Thure Lindhardt	...	Chartrand
David Pasquesi	...	Claudio Vincenzi
Cosimo Fusco	...	Father Simeon
Victor Alfieri	...	Lieutenant Valenti
Franklin Amobi	...	Cardinal Lamasse
Curt Lowens	...	Cardinal Ebner
Bob Yerkes	...	Cardinal Guidera
Marc Fiorini	...	Cardinal Baggia (as Marco Fiorini)

Also Known As:

Obelisk (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Latin | French | German | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44269) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-13 | UK:12A (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Czech Republic:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:12 (f) | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:16 | Germany:12 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Iceland:14 | Mexico:B15 | Japan:G

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Tom Hanks hired David Koepp for rewrites.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Langdon is saved by a fireman after the firefight in the church, the fireman directly starts to speak English although Langdon hasn't said a word. How does the fireman knows he isn't Italian?

Quotes:

Cardinal Strauss: When you write about us, and you will, do so gently.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Angels & Demons: Decoded (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Gregorian Chant: Requiem Aeternam-Introitus (VI)

"Open the doors, and tell the world the truth"

Robert Langdon is back and better than ever – and, by better, I mean that he finally got himself a haircut. In 2006, Ron Howard's 'The Da Vinci Code' was released amid a storm of controversy, snagged $750 million at the box-office, and suffered a crucifixion at the hands of critics worldwide. I remember the film well because it inspired me for the first time to discuss, at length, a film's merits – I was, for better or worse, Howard's most ardent defender. Howard's follow-up 'Angels and Demons' (adapted as a sequel) opened with only a polite smattering of debate, and is all the better for it. Now both films can comfortably be enjoyed for exactly what they are – entertaining pulp thrillers, replete with exotic locations, beautiful women, brutal murders, ancient conspiracies, treasure hunts, and a race against time. Owing to the source novel's more limited reputation, 'Angels and Demons' lacks the bloated self-importance, whether conscious or not, of its predecessor, and so can be enjoyed, without reservation, as a fanciful, unpretentious two-hour page-turner.

Screenwriters David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman have shorn the majority of Dan Brown's ludicrous plot twists – most fortunately a parachute- substitute that would have sent audience eyes rolling – but, even so, the film remains thematically inconsistent, a flaw that extends back to the source material. When Brown originally published "Angels and Demons" in 2000, he was at the cross-roads of a transition in his writing style. "Digital Fortress" and "Deception Point" were pretty straightforward conspiracy thrillers, with government organisations using ultra-modern technology to perpetrate their crimes and threaten the truth-seeking heroine. By "The Da Vinci Code (2003)," all elements of science-fiction had been discarded in favour of historical documents and religious iconography. But "Angels and Demons" finds itself stranded in the middle of this conversion, labouring extensively over fictional antimatter explosions when a simple bomb would have done just nicely. This juxtaposition of history and technology may well have been intentional, used to emphasise the conflict of science and religion, but there is nonetheless an imbalance of tone that jars violently with the viewer.

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard "symbologist" Dr. Robert Langdon, and his performance is an improvement. Rather than existing purely as a cypher of ancient symbols, Langdon seems to have developed a fuller persona, though there's some awkward, sitting-on-the-fence attempts at defining his stance on religion. The supporting players – Ewan McGregor, Aylet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierfrancesco Favino – are dependable without attempting to steal the limelight, as Ian McKellen did so successfully in 'The Da Vinci Code.' Only Nikolaj Lie Kaas, as the Illuminati assassin, doesn't quite feel the part, lacking the ghostly creepiness of Paul Bettany in the equivalent role. Salvatore Totino's cinematography isn't the most handsome you'll see this year, but nevertheless captures the art and architecture of Rome and the Vatican (whether real or recreated) with stunning vibrancy. Hans Zimmer's score is energetic and emphatic at the right moments, not only underscoring events in the film but forcefully stamping their significance. All flaws aside, I can certainly see future generations enjoying 'Angels and Demons' for its preposterous sense of fun.