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Angels & Demons (2009)
Director: Ron Howard
Synopsis
A sequel to The Da Vinci Code, based on Dan Brown's prequel.
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Ron Howard and sheer stupidity go well together, as shown by both of his adaptations of Dan Brown’s popular Robert Langdon novels. This prequel to The Da Vinci Code trades in exposition-heavy machinations for a more action-packed scenario, but it hardly matters whether Harvard symbologist Langdon (Hanks) is waxing philosophic or racing against the clock. He and the world he inhabits are always set to “fever pitch.”
Angels moves like a mofo, propelled by Hans Zimmer’s relentless score and Hanks’s easy way with pseudointellectual pitter-patter. Like a gallivanting set of CliffsNotes, Langdon tears around Vatican City and its surroundings, searching for four kidnapped cardinals and an “antimatter” bomb while simultaneously offering snack-time discourses on history, philosophy, art and religion. Come the finale, we might all think ourselves experts on the Illuminati, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the chances of survival when parachuting from a rapidly ascending helicopter into Saint Peter’s Square (0 percent, unless your name is Ewan McGregor).
How dark the con of Ron that he can so vividly simulate thought in what is truly an intellect-free enterprise. No number of quizzically furrowed brows, solemn proclamations of faith or brawling stem-cell protestors can cloak Angels & Demons’s summertime superficiality. It’s simple pleasures all around, from the Vatican archives that resemble a James Bond supervillain lair to a purely platonic sexy-scientist sidekick (Zurer) in high-heels-sprinting, Dana Scully mode. And hosanna in excelsis to the devilish genius who cast Armin Mueller-Stahl as a kindhearted conduit to secular-spiritual détente.
Author: Keith Uhlich
Time Out New York Issue 711: May 14 -20, 2009
User reviews of this film
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- JeremyKyle said...
- Posted on Jun 09 2009 18:39 When this film finished i turned to my friend and i said "i feel like i have just watched tom hanks walking around old dusty buildings for 2 hours..." and i had. Well, to be fair he also sped from one church to next in a modest hatchback to intesnse orchestral music. They almost tricked me for a second...they almost tricked me into thinking i was excited. This film is a testament to how much a brilliant music score can do to make up for inadequacy. This film was Hans Zimmer with an unfortunate doody on top. I actually fell asleep in this film. I missed one of the curches...as i gather he went into the church and there was dust there. I woke up just in time to be massively offended by the ending. Let me emphasise that this film is NOT in any way shape or form anti religious. It had certainly gained converts for the catholic church. For some reason, which i cannopt figure out, the last half hour seemed to be an exercise in how far Ron Howard could get his head into the pope's arse. I sat open mouthed as he kneeled down and thrusted his head into the pope's arse. And then to my horror he squeezed in up to the shoulders, and by the end he was inside the pope's arse up to his waist. The film gave the following message: Scientists are becoming a bit rash with their dangerous experiments and they don't really know what they're dealing with. The church is a little old fashioned by its intentions are good. And finally, the ultimate insult, the old "religion and science are two sides of the same coin" trick. Die. DIE. Literally die right now ron howard. You have a responsibility to the audience not to be shit. There are young impressionable people watching this film and your taking a shit in their little minds. STOP SHITTING IN THE MINDS OF OUR CHILDREN RON HOWARD. STOP. Words cannot describe how terrible this film is. The Da Vinci Code was an acceptable film. It still licked christianity's ass but it was alright (largely thanks to Hans Zimmer, who i love more than my mother) I fail to see how at any stage they thought this would be good. Everything is wrong with it. Its boring. Its badly written. And worst of all, it is a whore. Actually, wait, thats an insult to whores, who quite frankly provide a valuable service. This film is a very poor whore who draws everyone in by pretending to be outrageous and contreversial and turns out to be an utter dissapointment with a fantastic soundtrack.
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Cast & crew
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Ayelet Zurer, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Thure Lindhardt full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 138 mins
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