Who owns the moment of creation?

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2011)

Plot Based on the best selling novel by author Dan Brown, Angels & Demons is a popcorn thriller about a symbologist professor named Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, being summoned to the Vatican to assist in foiling a diabolical plot against the church and its cardinals. The pope has died and 4 cardinals are kidnapped before the start of the ceremony to elect a new pope. A cryptic note is sent to the Vatican police that details the intentions of the Illuminati to kill the 4 cardinals and blow up Vatican City. Robert Langdon must decipher the clues and, in a sense, save the church. Along for the ride this time is beautiful and mysterious scientist Dr. Vittoria Vetra played by Ayelet Zurer. Together the two set out on a frantic hunt to find the Path to Illumination. The story is full of church intrigue, power struggles, and violence from within and without the Vatican.
Central Conflict One of the themes at the center of this movie is science versus religion. More specifically who owns the moment of creation? CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, is on the eve of proving the God Particle exists that created life in the universe from the collision of matter and anti-matter. The Illuminati choose this as the time to strike back at the Catholic church in an act of vengeance for a previous incident against the Illuminati referred to as La Purga where 4 members of the Illuminati were branded in the chest with crosses and burned at the stake.
"Are you not Entertained?" The verdict is Guilty. I was entertained. In a recent Colbert Report interview Ron Howard stated "The thing that Dan Brown does so well in his novels is he collects all these fringe theories and conspiracy theories, old and new, and combines them in these works of fiction and yet he puts enough verifiable history in there so that it stimulates your imagination and your curiosity while it entertains you." Ron Howard so succinctly encapsulates why this movie and others like it such as the National Treasure are so successful.
Does this movie solve the issue between religion and science? No, but I think it sheds enough light on the subject to spark some interesting conversations that just might make people finally realize that religion and science are not inherently at odds with each other.
If you're interested in this movie, you should also check out ...
National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets The Third Miracle Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and of course ... The Da Vinci Code
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