Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons was not a huge priority for me so I waited for it to come to the dollar theater before watching it. I saw it last night, and like many of the movies I have seen, I have mixed feelings about it. The novel was a prequel to the Da Vinci Code, but the movie was presented as a sequel. I really liked the set up to the movie and it got off to an exciting start.

I was intrigued with the details about the Vatican, the Swiss Guard, and the procedures for replacing a pope. The movie is fast paced, and I enjoyed the setting as they frantically ran back and forth across Rome to several historical sites while trying to solve several mysteries. This movie also seemed much less critical of the Catholic church than the Da Vinci Code did. I felt it could have been trying to reconcile things from the prior movie. Obviously the Vatican did not want anything to do with another movie, so the movie makers had to build a replica for the scenes in St. Peter's square.

One of the problems I had with this film was the ease with which Langdon was able to decipher codes and solve mysteries the moment he walks into a room. Robert Langdon is the James Bond of Academia and apparently there is nothing he does not know. It made National Treasure look like a documentary. If you are critical of unrealistic details, then I'm afraid the "Yeah, Right" factor is off the charts. There are more secret passages and conveniently placed manhole covers in this movie than in an episode of Scooby Doo. I thought it was an interesting plot with the Illuminati threatening the Church, but I just kept shaking my head in disbelief with the way the details played out. Towards the end of the movie a young kid behind me made a particular comment and I thought to myself, "Don't kids have funny imaginations?" I was shocked, minutes later, when his far-fetched prediction came true.

Despite my criticisms, I still thought the movie was entertaining, and I can't blame Ron Howard for anything because the cast, acting, special effects, and plot were all good, but he had to make a movie based on an unrealistic book. I recommend Angels and Demons as a video rental and I give it 6.9 stars.