The Reviewer Conjured Angels and Demons

The somewhat anticipated sequel to The DaVinci Code; Ron Howard's Angels and Demons has arrived and all I can say out of the shoot is...I'm not impressed.
The story based on Dan Brown's best selling novel is actually a prequel to The DaVinci Code but the filmmakers decide to make it a sequel and add a couple of glib references to DaVinci lest we should forget that whole controversial plot.
Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who is called upon by the Vatican to uncover a supposed plot by the secret society and Catholic hatin' Illuminati. Apparently, they are back and ready for revenge. The story takes place amidst the death of the Pope and the successor process known as the Conclave. What transpires in the tedious 138 minutes is a whirlwind of Wikipedia references and jaunts into Vatican archives and catacombs in a race against time to stop a killer and to prevent a cataclysmic event. Who else would you call but a symbologist to solve the case? The film like it's predecessor is replete with intrigue, betrayal and pseudo history. However, unlike the DaVinci Code, which the entire Christian world was dead set against, I did not feel this was an anti-Catholic film as many Catholic spokespersons would lead you to believe. Sure there are references about the Catholic Churchs' long history that are not too flattering but I didn't find the overall message to be negative, just fear based.

The film left me feeling flat and bored. The action is manufactured and the acting, uninspired. Tom Hanks looked a lot like he was going through the motions, waiting for the film to end. For a guy who was racing against time, he seemed to forget a lot about how much of a hurry he was in. In acting parlance, this made his activity less meaningful & unimportant which leads us to not care about his success in the end. At times, his acting chops shone brightly, but they were quite few and far between. Ewan McGregor plays Camerlengo Patrick McKenna who is essentially the Pope's assistant. I felt like he wanted to have a strong feeling about what he was saying but it didn't come across that way. Stellan Skarsgard who plays Commander Richter played it close to the vest and with the right amount of authority but little else. Ayelet Zurer plays scientist Vittoria Vetra. She didn't connect with Hanks at all, it was an awkward relationship. However, she actually had a fleeting moment of connection with Ewan. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Cardinal Strauss with his usual cold, calculating control. Lastly, Nikolaj Lie Kaas is the Assassin and talk about someone with no clarity about his character at all. He had no feeling about the what and why about doing what he was doing. It was quite annoying.

The screenplay by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman is full of forced historical references to show how smart they are but there is no substance to the words. Ron Howard's direction is fundamentally fine but he gives us a film that ultimately lacks depth or excitement. It's just flat. I did enjoy the Cinematography and really loved seeing the art and sculpture of Vatican City and Rome, especially showcasing Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

Overall, Angels and Demons is a contrived, plodding film that has no heart but features a hopeful message. I give the film 2 out of 5 stars and is currently playing at a theater near you.