Thriller Bus-Ride Through Vatican City
Added 8/25/2009
I loved the semi-guided tour of Vatican City and some of Rome's most famous churches and castles. I squealed at being able to viscerally join Tom Hanks and team inside the Vatican archive vault (far frickin' out, man!). I thought the codes reflected more than a little presumptiousness on the part of their Illuminati-related creator, although I appreciated - who wouldn't? - Dan Brown dragging in famous folks from the past (e.g. Galileo). The executions were stylishly gothic, especially when wrapped in the haunting music. The cardinals and conclave meetings were adequately 'thick' with the intensity of centuries of religiousity and oh the panoramic views of St. Peter's Square and the Sistine Chapel were breath-robbing!
Best of all, I haven't read Angels & Demons (nor do I know a thing about Vatican history, culture or landscape) prior to the catching the movie so, unlike the Da Vinci Code (which was really about the historical Jesus, strangely enough a far less mysterious subject to me than the five elements of the Illuminati!), I had no pre-viewing framework (academic or otherwise) and thus no 'standard' with which to judge Ron Howard's latest movie.
No, I don't know exactly what anti-matter is, although I would agree with Ewan McGregor's character that there is (and should be) no enmity between faith and science. Whilst their starting premises may diverge seriously (at times) I've always believed that the best scientists are those with some faith in something beyond their labs and the best theologians are those who can listen carefully to what others (especially skeptical others) are saying.
The embarassing inaccuracies of the movie aside, the film's a great (because far cheaper) substitute to visiting Rome and getting a huge Langdon vs Illuminati vs Vatican kick out of it.
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Not worth your time
Added 8/20/2009
Ugh. Even worse than the first one, which wasn't that good to begin with. How can the team of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks go so wrong? Dunno, but this was barely watchable. Such a shame, because this was the better of the two books, and the setting is great to look at.
0 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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An Illuminating Thriller
Added 8/18/2009
I've said it before, and I will say it again: you can't convey every single detail and nuance from a 600 page book in an approximately 2 hour movie. That being said, my family and I really enjoyed ANGELS AND DEMONS this evening. A thrilling, action-packed adventure, ANGELS AND DEMONS posses a thought-provoking question: Are science and religion the antithesis of each other, or are they complimentary? Galileo, himself, believed that science and religion were merely different methods working towards the understanding of the same truth...
As ANGELS AND DEMONS opens, Robert Langdon, world expert in religious symbology, is summoned to the Vatican, despite (or, perhaps, because of) his tarnished reputation with the Church. The Church needs Langdon to decipher obscure clues that point to a centuries old conspiracy and to prevent a cataclysmic catastrophe. Langdon, along with CERN physicist Vittoria Vetra must "cross" Rome to find the four alters of the Illuminati, a secret scientific brotherhood driven underground by the Church around the time of Galileo. Can Langdon and Vittoria unravel the 400 year old mysteries in time to save the lives of four kidnapped Cardinals? Will they be able to avert disaster and devastation?
Overall, ANGELS AND DEMONS is an entertaining summer movie with an enthralling mystery that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. The pace is breathless, not because of chase scenes and endless special effects, but because of the multiple time-critical deadlines that come and go. The entire story (once the team is assembled at the Vatican) takes place in a 5 hour timeframe. While there are some significant changes from the book to fit it into a 2 hour movie, the basic plot points are all there, and this movie is a good representation of the original story.
Tom Hanks is very appealing as Robert Langdon, as he reprises his role from The DaVinci Code. Ayelet Zurer is a lovely Vittoria Vetra, and the rest of this excellent cast, including Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård, is very enjoyable. Everyone seems very comfortable in their roles, and that makes it very easy for the audience to watch. The scenes filmed in Rome are beautiful, and the scenes of the Vatican and is interior are quite amazing. If the Vatican doesn't really look like that on the inside, well, it should.
ANGELS AND DEMONS is definitely worth the price of admission. It is an excellent summer thriller, with a little more meat on its bones than most. Provocative questions, suspenseful mysteries, and sinister plots. What else could you ask for on a hot summer evening? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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the case for when a sequel is better than the original - Angels and Demons outshines The Da Vinci Code
Added 7/28/2009
An impressive adaptation of Dan Brown's book of the same title, the movie sequel (predecessor in the book series) fares better than its predecessor The Da Vinci Code. Angels and Demons is more dynamic, more intriguing, more action-packed; it's just that much more of a film than Robert Langdon's last adventure on the big screen. Even though the film is more action-packed, it sees less running on Tom Hanks' part and more car chase-like scenery, which allows Hanks to morph more convincingly into Langdon. Also, Israeli beauty Ayelet Zurer is convincing and stunning as Vittoria Vetra and Ron Howard smartly avoids showing romantic ties between Vetra and Langdon. This film might be as controversial and as disliked with the Pope as its predecessor, but it's a lot more Church-friendly and it welcomes faith and God, while slightly abhorring the religion that administers it. Angels and Demons draws the necessary parallels between God and science and emphasized the flaws of men, and that's a message that should appeal to a much wider audience than the watered-down message in the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Drawing attention to the Vatican
Added 7/12/2009
Confusion of interference between religious dogmas and natural research grounds a very story of black cars rushing round Rome and guys killing each other mercilessly in the name of the GOD.
Yeah, it is really hard to drive big cars fast in the ancient dust-covered continuingly-renovated streets of the Capital of the Universe while even public-allowed catacombs of the Vatican possessed a sort of ghosts without scaring additionally.
Good advertisment for a tourist agency.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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DVD - Angels & Demons
Added 2/8/2010
Excellent movie, well done and follows the book on most important parts. I would highly recommend.
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Angels & Demons
Added 2/8/2010
Angels & Demons (Two-Disc Extended Edition) Another great movie from Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. I think that this one was better than the Da Vinci Code. I liked it better, more action and more plot. Will be a favorit of mine..
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Satisfaction quaranteed
Added 2/8/2010
Received exactly as presented. Fast delivery. Very satisfied. Good quality. Thank you.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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