Extended Cut Review

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2010)

After the pope's death, a nefarious organization stashes an antimatter bomb somewhere in the Vatican, threatening to annihilate the conclave of cardinals who are meeting to elect the papal successor. To pass the time until the bomb will detonate, the enemy begins to torture and kill a few of the individual cardinals, but there is a pattern to the grotesque executions, involving hidden sculptural symbols and secret architectural clues. Unfortunately for the church, the man most capable of deciphering the code is the American "symbologist" Robert Langdon, who happens to be an affirmed atheist.
A+D is how every sequel should be: The filmmakers found the flaws in the first film and fixed them, making the sequel better. Almost everything is improved in this sequel: The slow pacing in the first film is tightened so much that the filmmakers had the actors talk while walking/running to different locations. Hans Zimmer's underscore in the previous film is now much more blatant and epic, which can keep anyone with ears awake. Even Tom Hanks' hair is less annoying. However, the storyline is still as outrageous and ludicrous as the first, but that's a given if you've read the books written by Dan Brown.
Now judging the film on its own aspects, A+D is a well made time-ticking thriller. After an unnecessarily long forty-minute set up, the ball starts rolling and you're sitting in a roller coaster ride that doesn't let up until the climax. I found the film very exciting and suspenseful and it was nice to see some great monuments and statues around Europe. Having only seen the extended cut of the film, I was surprised by how violent the film is, but I say that as a compliment. I think the film benefits with more blood and violent images that give the film a much more mature viewing than other PG-13 action flicks.
Tom Hanks returns as the main role and he's just as good as the first film, although he looks a bit older. His new partner, Ayelet Zurer, is good enough for the role she's playing, although she seems to disappear for a while in the middle of the film. Ewan McGregor gives a good performance with his Irish accent, although it wasn't spectacular. I also liked Hans Zimmer's score, which gives the orchestra something more to do compared to the first film.
As a sequel, A+D is better than THE DA VINCI CODE in almost every category ever invented. As a thriller, it's a suspenseful thrill ride from beginning to end. The scenery for the film is wonderful and the third act is amazing. If I had one complaint for the film, it was the oh-so-obvious twist ending which anyone could see a mile away if they paid attention. Still, what else could you ask for in a popcorn flick?