Much better than The Da Vinci Code

Rating: 7/10 (17 May 2009)

I saw this film last night and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
I have both read and thoroughly enjoyed Dan Brown's novels so it was disappointing to see that Ron Howards Da Vinic Code failed to live up to the high standards set by the book. With regards to this, I expected much of the same from Angels and Demons, so it was brilliant when I came out of the cinema thinking that I had just seen a pretty good film.
Yes it is pretty good. Not excellent, but pretty good. The film is much faster paced than the Da Vinci Code which I feel is one of the reasons behind why I enjoyed the film more. The actors do a great job and I particularly enjoyed Ewan Mcgregor's role in the film as the camerlengo. I also enjoyed the soundtrack.
One of my main assumptions about modern entertainment, is that the book is always better then the film. Indeed, the case is no different here but the point I want to stress is that the film leaves a lot of stuff out and even alters certain events or details. However, in retrospect I can see that this suits the fast paced narrative and by no means does it spoil the film.
Just like the Da Vinci Code, this film has it's critics, but I want to stress how hard it is to turn a Dan Brown novel which excels on attention to detail and problem solving within the minds of the character's heads, into a successful film.
I urge people to see this film because it provides good entertainment and I left with a sense of satisfaction. I give the film 7/10.