The Return of Professor Robert Langdon

Rating: 6/10 (22 July 2009)

Angels & Demons (2009) is an adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling mystery-thriller novel of the same title hat is based on the dark secrets in the history of Catholicism and the fight of the Catholic Church against the underground societies and their influence. There is a lot to like in the new film: the pace is very fast and appropriately so, the views of Rome and its historical and art treasures are gorgeous, as well as the look into Vatican chambers, passages, and catacombs. The lecture which was given by Ewan McGregor (who looked very appealing as a young priest) about history of struggle between Catholic Church and mysterious powerful secret society of "Illuminati" over the Church's prosecution of scientists 400 years, or the religion against the science, was quite insightful and illuminating. Tom Hanks who reprised the role of the Harvard Professor Robert Langdon with the obvious gift for solving tricky puzzles and finding the meaning of secret symbols was once again on hand to provide the solution for yet another Catholic Church serious crisis that threatens the very existence of Vatican City and the college of cardinals who gathered from all over the world to elect the new Pope . I should admit that I liked Hanks in this movie much better than in the first adaptation of Dan Brown's historic- religious mystery "Da Vinci Code". I also found Angels & Demons much more fun to watch, maybe because in the new film, its creators concentrate on the crime/mystery/thriller/action elements and did not try to add much drama to it. The best and to the point description of the film belongs to the official Vatican.newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, which wrote it is a "harmless entertainment which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity". I can't agree more.