Angels & Demons (2009)

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

15 May 2009 (USA)

Genre:

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

Awards:

2 nominations

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 | 146 min (extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Latin | French | Swiss German | 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 Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | 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 | France:U | Taiwan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Finland:K-15 (Extended cut) | Singapore:NC-16 (extended version) | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 (extended edition) | Ireland:12 (video rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (cut) | UK:15 (blu-ray) | Austria:12 | South Africa:13V (DVD rating) | Denmark:15 | South Africa:16LV (theatrical rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

The 'God particle' referred to in the movie is the Higgs-Boson particle, theorized in 1963-64. The LHC in Geneva is indeed seeking out the nature of this particle, which is claimed to give mass to all matter in the Universe.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra tries to change the battery on the bomb she says that batteries lose charge when they are cold. This is accurate: the chemical reactions in a battery are slower at low temperatures, and at particularly low temperatures, the electrolyte may freeze, causing the battery to completely fail. Clearly the fictional high-capacity battery in their fictional antimatter containment device is particularly sensitive to temperature drops. At high temperatures, a rechargeable battery's working lifetime may be reduced, meaning it has to be replaced sooner, but this would not adversely affect its capacity in the short term.

Quotes:

Robert Langdon: You will counsel him wisely.
Cardinal Strauss: I am an old man. I will counsel him briefly.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Gregorian Chant: Requiem Aeternam-Introitus (VI)

Religion Is Flawed Because Man Is Flawed

After the death of the Pope, the conclave has gathered in a locked room to choose his successor among four cardinals named "preferitti"; however the quartet is abducted in a revenge of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood that was supposed extinct. The symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and the scientist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), who had her powerful and dangerous prototype of antimatter research stolen, are invited by the Vatican police to help them in their investigation. They are received by the receptive Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) and by the reluctant Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgård) and are informed that the Illuminati have promised to kill each cardinal every hour from 8:00 PM and then explode the Vatican City with the antimatter. Robert and Vittoria have a few hours to unravel the clues and discover where the lethal weapon might be hidden.

The novel and bestseller "The Da Vinci Code" of Dan Brown was one of the most intriguing books that I have read. I was curious about the adaptation to the cinema of that complex and detailed story, and I found it only reasonable and the movie frustrated my expectations. I have not read "Angels & Demons", and I liked very much this film. The story has many plot points in wonderful locations; the acting is excellent and holds the attention until the last sequence. My daughter read the novel and told me that the adaptation is also frustrating. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Anjos e Demônios" ("Angels and Demons")