Movie Review-"Angels And Demons"
By Christian Toto wwwwhatwouldtotowatch.com
Expect a raft of reviews for “Angels & Demons” proclaiming “it’s better than ‘The Da Vinci Code.’”
A mild improvement over the stilted original isn’t the selling point required to vault “Angels” past the summer’s other surefire hits.
The sequel, also based on a story by novelist Dan Brown, tones down the Catholic bashing - and star Tom Hanks’ unruly locks. But it’s still exhausting at times, a talky potboiler that spends too much time explaining the thrills you’re supposed to feel organically.
Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon, and this time he’s summoned to the Vatican to thwart a bomb plot in the holy city.
The Pope has died unexpectedly, and someone has snuck a vial of explosive antimatter into town. Making matters worse, four cardinals who could be next in line to become the new pope have been kidnapped.
Sounds like a job for Jason Bourne or James Bond, not an aging academic. But the wiley Langdon is smarter than your average symbologist. He quickly starts piecing together the arcane clues set before him, and every hunch seems to pay off.
All the while, the flat screenplay drones on about religious dogma and art history, topics better suited to an independent feature. That endless exposition slows the narrative to a crawl.
The story perks up midway through as the danger level finally hits red and Langdon escapes a few fiendish jams. Director Ron Howard, on full coasting mode here, realizes when its time to goose the proceedings before the audience’s faith starts to sag. The director attempts to mimic the ticking clock device used far more effectively on Fox’s “24,” but it seems silly whenever Langdon breaks into a trot.
Ewan McGregor adds some much needed texture as a conflicted priest, and Ayelet Zurer appears a sound romantic match to Hanks’ brainy Langdon. So why do they give off so few sparks while running around Vatican City?
“Angels & Demons” ends on a conciliatory note between science and spirituality, but it’s far less agreeable to those seeking a first rate summer adventure.
Expect a raft of reviews for “Angels & Demons” proclaiming “it’s better than ‘The Da Vinci Code.’”
A mild improvement over the stilted original isn’t the selling point required to vault “Angels” past the summer’s other surefire hits.
The sequel, also based on a story by novelist Dan Brown, tones down the Catholic bashing - and star Tom Hanks’ unruly locks. But it’s still exhausting at times, a talky potboiler that spends too much time explaining the thrills you’re supposed to feel organically.
Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon, and this time he’s summoned to the Vatican to thwart a bomb plot in the holy city.
The Pope has died unexpectedly, and someone has snuck a vial of explosive antimatter into town. Making matters worse, four cardinals who could be next in line to become the new pope have been kidnapped.
Sounds like a job for Jason Bourne or James Bond, not an aging academic. But the wiley Langdon is smarter than your average symbologist. He quickly starts piecing together the arcane clues set before him, and every hunch seems to pay off.
All the while, the flat screenplay drones on about religious dogma and art history, topics better suited to an independent feature. That endless exposition slows the narrative to a crawl.
The story perks up midway through as the danger level finally hits red and Langdon escapes a few fiendish jams. Director Ron Howard, on full coasting mode here, realizes when its time to goose the proceedings before the audience’s faith starts to sag. The director attempts to mimic the ticking clock device used far more effectively on Fox’s “24,” but it seems silly whenever Langdon breaks into a trot.
Ewan McGregor adds some much needed texture as a conflicted priest, and Ayelet Zurer appears a sound romantic match to Hanks’ brainy Langdon. So why do they give off so few sparks while running around Vatican City?
“Angels & Demons” ends on a conciliatory note between science and spirituality, but it’s far less agreeable to those seeking a first rate summer adventure.
Labels: Angels and Demons Tom Hanks Ewan McGregor Christian Toto
posted by Ron Futrell at
5:09 PM
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