While the first adaptation of a Dan Brown Robert Langdon movie, The Da Vinci Code, made loads of money at the box office, it was roundly pilloried by critics. As a result this follow-up (the film’s been made as a sequel, even though the book is a prequel) seems to have learned a few lessons and is far less slavish to the novel than its predecessor. In some ways this is good, and in others it’s a bit of a problem.
The plot this time around takes place just after a pope has died and the Vatican is preparing for Conclave, when they’ll choose the next pontiff. However, a canister of antimatter has been stolen from CERN and is now hidden somewhere under the holy city, and four cardinals have been kidnapped, with a promise to kill them being delivered to the papal police. As it all seems to have something to do with an ancient brotherhood called the Illuminati, who promised to destroyed the Catholic Church due to their belief in science, they call in symbologist Robert Langdon, who decides they need to try and follow the hidden ‘path of illumination’ which will take them to the churches where the cardinals will be killed and eventually to the antimatter itself.
Admittedly it is the sort of over the top storyline where, if it weren’t for the presence of Tom Hanks and a director like Ron Howard, you would expect it to be straight to DVD silliness that was headed straight for the bargain bin. And that’s kind of the problem. While Dan Brown may not be a great writer, he is incredibly readable and he’s also good with ideas that get you thinking. While pondering on the bloodline of Jesus may have made film of The Da Vinci Code a bit ponderous, it did help to cover up just how ridiculous a lot of it is. However here the ideas are more subdued, with the talk of science versus religion and the alleged history of the Illuminati more of a whisper that merely allows the characters to run around looking for cardinals and finding angels on Bernini statues that point to the where the next church on the path of illumination is.
It makes for a movie that’s undoubtedly thunders along from one set piece to the next, with plenty of twisting and turning, lots of double-crosses, a multitude of characters who aren’t what they appear to be, and Tom Hanks looking perplexed yet determined. However, without as many ideas to distract you, there’s little doubt it all gets rather preposterous. In fact, the idea that there’s a secret path illumination leading to a secular church where a brotherhood that included the likes of Galileo used to meet, is actually one of the most believable things in the film.
It should also be noted that one of the most talked about things about the film, the fact the Vatican wouldn’t let the movie film in any of its churches, leads to a situation where many of the locations had to be recreated using CG. Unfortunately this isn’t seemless, it is can be a little distracting when Langdon walks into St. Peter’s and everything suddenly takes on an oddly painterly look. Mixed with the daftness of the plot, it just adds to a sense of unreality that the movie never quite escapes.
In some ways it’s a shame, as director Ron Howard does some good work, the cast all do pretty good jobs (even if some, like Stellan Skarsgard as the head of the Swiss Guard, struggle with a script that only wants them to be stereotypes) and the script certainly whips things up to try and wallpaper over the cracks.
It all makes for a film that’s alright, but rather frustrating. It’s by no means bad and certainly not boring, it’s just that it’s difficult to fully suspend your disbelief and enter into the spirit of the film. There was a really good film that could have been made from Angels & Demons but sadly this isn’t quite it, it’s just an ok one.
Overall Verdict: A passable way to spend a couple of hours, but by ditching some of the book’s ideas it does underline quite how silly the plot is.
Reviewer: Tim Isaac