So, to preface this review a little bit...I read both The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. I liked both books but, like most people it seems, I liked Angels & Demons better. Now, that being said, I felt like the first movie was boring and overall, poorly executed. Needless to say I went into the theater without very high expectations.
So, onto the review. This is a better movie than The DaVinci Code. It's much more tight and well paced. Part of that is due to the story itself being so "time-oriented" and taking place pretty much in one night. Credit can also be given to Ron Howard on this one too though. He uses quicker edits and ample footage of tires screeching and cars racing around tight Roman streets.
The story again centers on Robert Langdon, a Harvard Symbologist, who is recruited by the Vatican to help them prevent the destruction of the Vatican on the night on Conclave - the ceremony to select the next Pope. What's more, the 4 top contenders for the honor have been kidnapped by an old enemy of the Catholic church, the Illuminati. They promise to execute one Cardinal per hour for 4 hours followed by the destruction of the Vatican at midnight with the detonation of an antimatter "bomb". Oh yeah, that brings in the second lead, an Italian physicist whose lab manufactured the antimatter before it was stolen. The professor and the physicist are thrust together by the Vatican for their respective expertise to solve this mystery and follow the ancient "Path of Illumination" through Rome.
There are some key differences from the book in terms of the story. I won't go into them in detail so as not to give away much, but some worked and some didn't. One, which was a welcome change involved Langdon, a Harvard symbologist - a very academic Harvard symbologist mind you, jumping out of a helicopter and using a panel from said helicopter as a sort of parachute/glider to avert falling to his death. The movie sidestepped this ridiculous feat and it was successful. Another big change in my opinion involved the big baddie in the movie and his motives. I still don't quite know why they changed things - it was better the way it was and I can't see that it helped move the plot along any better.
The acting was passable. Tom Hanks is a truly exceptional actor but there's not much acting required in this movie sadly. It would be nice to see him eventually return to something more dramatic and challenging. Ewan McGregor was, as usual, quite good. I've yet to see him in a role that he couldn't pull off. And can I just say that I think that Stellan Skaarsgard is totally awesome. He's never the main guy in anything but always brings something to the table. Here he plays the head of the Vatican's Swiss Guard - sort of the Pope's secret service- who is often butting heads with Hanks' Langdon.
Overall, not a bad movie but not a particularly good movie either. The pacing is right on which is a huge improvement from the first movie and I think it's just a more engaging story. It'll probably make lots of money and appeal to lots of people but it's definitely flawed.
