Gripping. As good as I imagined.

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2009)

As a viewer who has not read the book, I suppose I cannot judge this as a book remake, but purely as a film. Also, having not seen The Da Vinci Code, I cannot make a comparison between the two films. However, all in all I was completely gripped throughout the duration of the whole film. I thought it was fast paced and exciting from beginning to end and often found myself edging toward the edge of my seat in suspense and anticipation.
Tom Hanks gives a convincing and excellent performance as Professor Langdon, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Beforehand I was not a fan of Tom Hanks, nor did I dislike him, however I found that after watching this film, I already like and appreciate him more as an actor. He brought the right amount of charm and courageousness to the role, which added likability to the film no end for me.
My main motive for viewing this film originally was to see the performance of Ewan McGregor and his portrayal of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, as I am a massive fan of both his work in films and of his Motorcycle journeys with Charley Boorman. Overall, I thought his role in Angels and Demons was perfect. Although an unfamiliar role for him to play, I felt that he was completely believable, and the only fault I can express is his use of accent. His Irish accent wasn't bad, in fact in certain places it sounded completely genuine. However, from time to time, it was hard to decipher that an accent was present, other than his own. Despite this, I enjoyed his performance almost all the way through this film, however was disappointed that his character turned out to be not as innocent as first suspected. Playing the role as 'the bad guy' is something I am unfamiliar with when it comes to McGregor, and I found it almost upsetting that this was the character he was playing.
This film is a must see if you're a fan of fast-paces thrillers or dramas. In my opinion, I don't wish to read the book. I am usually more a fan of books than films myself, but I simply enjoyed this film too much as it is to sit and pick fault with what was changed and what was left out of the book. 8 out of ten, and buying on DVD.