Factchecking Aside, A Pretty Good Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2009)

Being neither a fan of conspiracy tales or particularly of the earlier novel "The Davinci Code", I was less than optimistic that I would become a big fan of this new effort by Ron Howard and Tom Hanks. So it was a bit of a surprise to find "Angels and Demons" is not a bad film at all. But it surely stretches credibility with its quasi- and at times pseudo-historic underpinnings. This is story-telling at warp speed; sometimes you want to have the film rewound for a few frames to verify what has been said by Tom Hanks' (as Roger Langdon).
Langdon's frenetic pace to prevent killings of high priests in the Vatican is the meat of the story(s). Thrown in to crank up the action a little further is the theft of antimatter, of course of much interest to all. And there are outward and internal tensions caused by the Swiss guard, Vatican figures gathered to select a new pope also have in- and external issues. And then of course there arethe Illuminati.
With all these characters embroiled in catching a serial killer (who focuses on highly-placed priests) working for who-knows-who, we have the makings of a pretty good thriller. And if you can decipher Langdon's rapid-fire explanations as to why the pursuit should be conducted his way, you are ahead of his law enforcement colleagues.
There are two exceptions, naturally. Langdon's physics-oriented partner – involved initially with the theft of antimatter she had a hand in developing (Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra)- quickly demonstrates a remarkable knowledge of Church history. Ewan Mc Gregor, who is acting essentially as the acting Pope, also understands seems to understand what is going on.
The fun is in listening to Langdon's rapid delivery of his analysis of the crime scenes and the criminal, and how and why it is all tied together. There are a number of so-called facts spouted that may or may not be true; but that is to be expected in both the novels of Dan Brown and the subsequent films.
The opening shots of the film are right on the money, conveying a real sense of the inner workings of a lab specializing in quantum physics. Credit this work to the director; Ron Howard does know how to make a film.
Three Stars.