While it's not as preposterous as its predecessor, THE DA VINCI CODE, ANGELS & DEMONS waits until the end to loose its credibility instead of doing it at the end of the first act. Like DA VINCI, it's not the absurd premise that necessarily ruins the film. It's in how the plot is executed and how it leaves its one-dimensional characters flailing in a fountain of exposition.
This is another treasure hunt plot where Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, APOLLO 13) is called upon to help Vatican investigators stop the ancient secret science-based organization called the Illuminati from wiping out Vatican City with stolen antimatter. Landon, this time teamed with the beautiful physicist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer, MUNICH), races from clue to clue to find where four kidnapped priests will be murdered. As the plot thickens like a good gravy, we learn that the pope might have been murdered, which puts many insiders into suspicion.
Langdon first butts heads with Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgard, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST), the head of the Swiss Guard assigned to protect the pope, who doesn't like agnostics. The Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor, TRAINSPOTTING) tries to assist Langdon and clear the city, but Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl, SHINE) prevents anything from disrupting the traditions of the conclave set to choose the next pope.
ANGELS & DEMONS has less standing around and talking than DA VINCI, and more running around and talking, which is a minor improvement. But like the first film, Langdon is simply an observer. Hanks does his best to give him some spark, but there isn't much to work with. He's even more of the plot devise this time around than before. Outside of saving the city from destruction, none of the characters have anything personally invested. It's all plot and no character. The characters that do get some development are done so in broad strokes like an average comic book. Then we get to the conclusion, which tries to twist and turn and does so too much to be believed. When it's all said and done, there were dozens of more interesting and believable ways to conclude the story, but it settles for the easiest and least interesting path.
And yet, like DA VINCI, it's entertaining, because director Ron Howard does the best job he can with the material he has. I'm sure fans of the book will enjoy it and people who think the whole thing is silly will not like it. At least, this time around I didn't start rolling my eyes until the end, which made at least two-thirds of the film mildly enjoyable.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
