"Angels & Demons" Outshines Its Predecessor

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2015)

It's an expectation that a successor has to exceed its predecessor. "Angels & Demons" is the sequel to the "The Da Vinci Code", even though the "The Da Vinci Code" book is published after the "Angels & Demons" book. I guess the producers redesigned this movie as a sequel. Well, this feels like a quasi-sequel. It's also great that this film outshines its predecessor.
Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned by the Vatican to help them understand the symbols which are coming from the Illuminati, an old enemy of the Church. A CERN scientist, Vittoria Vettra (Ayelet Zurer) joins him to save four kidnapped cardinals and the entire Vatican from Illuminati's retribution.
The film starts at morning, and the terror begins at 8pm. Every second matters for Langdon and his crew as lives are at risk. The pace is apparently faster than "The Da Vinci Code". It's impressive that most of the scenes are shot at studios and not in the Vatican, as the filmmakers are probably prohibited. Also, this feels like a film that pushes the PG-13, so watch out if kids are watching. Red herrings and Chekhov's guns are present so prepare for a hell out of revelations later.
I'm not judging this film if it follows the book. I'm judging this based on its genre itself. For a mystery thriller movie, this is great!