Angels & Demons

Watching Tom Hanks' character of Robert Langdon in Angels & Demons is almost like watching Jack Bauer in action, minus the threats and torture of course. He's called into action because the Vatican, as well as much of the surrounding area itself is under imminent threat of being destroyed by a powerful explosive device, and he has less than 24 hours to figure it out. In addition to that, the bad guys have threatened to brand and kill four preeminent Cardinals just before a new Pope is to be elected. These four also just happen to be the top candidates to become the new Pope. Before Professor Langdon even arrives in the Vatican he has a pretty good idea who's behind the threat, the Illuminati, now he just has to figure out where the bomb is before it goes off. Helping him do this, in addition to various law enforcement figures is Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer, who essentially plays the same role that Audrey Tautou played in The DaVinci Code. I found this film to be an entertaining thriller, and did feel the tension of the situation for most of the film. There is one significant plot flaw, the mentioning of which would be giving too much away. It did take something away from the film, but as pure entertainment, the film still basically works. In addition to the two leads there are a number of quality performances in the film, from Stellan Skarsgard, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Ewan McGregor, which only add to the enjoyment. The film also manages to throw in some discussion of religion vs. science, although thankfully no one suggested teaching creationism as a "science". The film, as you would expect is very similar in structure to The DaVinci Code, and if you liked that, then you'll likely feel the same about this one.

Rating - 3 Stars