A thrilling action flick, that improves on "The Da Vinci Code"

Rating: 7/10 (16 September 2009)

--Some minor spoilers, skip the part that describes the plot if you don't want to know anything about it--
Angels and Demons, Good and Evil, Science and Faith. The title of the movie adaptation of Dan Brown's novel from 2000 allows for many interpretations, literally and figuratively. But the real question about the film is whether it overcame the demons of its predecessor "The Da Vinci Code", which was panned by critics, despite becoming a huge financial success. Ironically "The Da Vinci Code" was much more popular in its printed form than "Angels and Demons", but yet the later one turned out to be the better film.
From the CERN Laboratories in Switzerland a canister containing a new, dangerous substance called anti-matter is removed and the head scientist brutally murdered. After the death of the pope and on the day of the Conclave, where the cardinals come together to elect the new head of the Catholic church, the four favorites for the post are kidnapped. Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology, is called upon by the Vatican to assist them in their search of the four cardinals, because they have received a disturbing phone call, indicating that a secret and supposedly extinct group of scientists that refer to themselves as the Illuminati are responsible. Together with Vittoria Vettra from CERN and Captain Olivetti he tries to find the cardinals by following a path of illumination, that leads to four churches in Rome and eventually to the headquarters of the society. Meanwhile the Camarlengo, Cardinal Strauss and the commander of the Swiss Guard, Richter, are faced with the annihilation of the Vatican, as the vile with the antimatter has been hidden somewhere deep in the city and will go off at midnight. A race against time begins and more than ever loyalty and faith have to come together for a war that might end in the total defeat of the Catholic Church.
While the movie version of "The Da Vinci Code" followed the book very closely, Ron Howard made a number of changes to "Angels and Demons", most of them for the better. He rewrote some of the characters and could therefore even cross out some of them completely, the most vital one being Maximilian Kohler, director of CERN. Characteristics and certain dialog scenes were also shifted, something that might confuse those who read the book recently, but for those who did a long time ago, it will hardly be important. Indeed, there are some bigger differences, but pretty much all of them improve the plot, and take out some major flaws of the book. The pacing of the movie is also better than its prequel, with a lot more action and less talking, which makes the 140 minutes go by very quickly.
Tom Hanks, who once again plays the role of Robert Langdon, is more involved this time, doing a lot of running and always being in the center of things. That does him a lot of good, because he gets the chance to actually show some of his acting talents, and serve as more than just the person who has to tell the audience the historic trivia that the viewer needs to follow the plot. Kudos also to Ewan McGregor, who gives a very strong and emotional performance as the Camerlengo. He's very believable in his role and like Tom Hanks has a very strong presence on the screen. Ayelet Zurer on the other hand doesn't get very much to work with, and her best scene once again brings the typical church motive of women not being trustworthy to the top. Pierfrancesco Favino as Olivetti and Stellan Skarsgard as Richter both do a really good job, especially the later one as the grumpy leader of the Swiss Guard, who frequently complains about Langdon's old-fashioned and supposedly naive methods of finding the kidnapper of the cardinals. We also see Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss, a relatively minor role, that he still manages to play great. Interestingly enough "Angels and Demons" has less well-known cast than "The Da Vinci Code" but at most times features better performances.
Due to the controversial status of Dan Brown surrounding the Catholic Church, the Vatican denied the permission to film "Angels and Demons" in the original churches in Rome. Anyway, the production designers did a terrific job recreating the interiors, with all the artwork and nostalgic charm you can only find in a place like that. Hans Zimmer's music is bombastic and powerful, making several scenes more exciting than they are anyway.
It wouldn't be surprising if "Angels and Demons" became just as much of a hit as "The Da Vinci Code" which made $750 Million worldwide, despite negative reviews. The biggest flaws of the movie mostly come from the book already and if you enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" already there is no doubt you will also like "Angels and Demons" which improved on its prequel without a doubt. It won't end up being a classic, but is still quite powerful, entertaining and a feast for the eyes. (3.5/5)
A fast-paced, thrilling action flick, that does pretty much everything right "The Da Vinci Code" didn't and manages to entertain for its total running time, which after all is more than two hours.