Angels and Demons
Having attempted to read both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and not succeeding, I had little hope for this film. Or rather, I had little hope the story would be compelling or interesting. It has also been said by some that Tom Hanks phoned in his performance for the former as Professor Langdon, so I wasn’t too excited about the acting either, though Hanks reputation is, The Da Vinci Code notwithstanding, quite stellar. What I actually got was a very enjoyable movie with good acting. Which was a nice surprise.
Professor Langdon (Hanks), a symbologist, is summoned by the Vatican when a symbol from a secret church group, the Illuminati, shows up following the death of His Holiness, the Pope, and just as the CERN in Europe discovers “anti-matter,” which some have associated with the term “God-particle,” worrying some Catholic leaders for obvious reasons. The plot develops as we discover that some group or individual has kidnapped four cardinals and is planning on killing them all in various ways, and finally destroying a very important place for Catholics everywhere, the Vatican, using this “anti-matter” to do so.
The localization of the story in Vatican City and Rome allows it to avoid being too melodramatic, in the sense of “world-ending catastrophe,” which keeps the focus on the people involved and by extension all Catholics rather than just another save-the-world-from-imminent-destruction movie. It also brings the focus onto the Catholic faith, Christianity as a whole, and the ongoing religion v. science debate which resonates so strongly with audiences today. Given that Professor Langdon is, as he says, “an academic,” one supposes that he is not religious and by association of ideas, an atheist. But he helps the Vatican anyway. Following this line of thought, he has a conversation with Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor):
Camerlengo Patrick McKenna: . Do you believe in God, sir?
Robert Langdon: Father, I simply believe that religion…
Camerlengo Patrick McKenna: I did not ask if you believe what man says about God. I asked if you believe in God.
Robert Langdon: I’m an academic. My mind tells me I will never understand God.
Camerlengo Patrick McKenna: And your heart?
Robert Langdon: Tells me I’m not meant to. Faith is a gift that I have yet to receive.
It is well written, tactful, and shows a generosity of spirit that the world would do well to learn from. Ron Howard does a good job of telling this story, and we are drawn in and want to know how the Illuminati will strike next, and he does a pretty good job of delivering the theme which encompasses it all, which is the effect of power on the human spirit, the struggle to understand each other in the face of drastically different personal paradigms, and the ability to help in spite of these differences.
It is, indeed, a summer movie, but not one for the whole family, unless the whole family can deal with the mutilation of the human body in varying forms and degrees. It’s fairly conventional, and some of the writing is definitely subpar, especially concerning Langdon’s discovery of clues to the Illuminati mystery. Finally, speaking from experience, even if you haven’t read the books, it is easy to understand and easy to enjoy. It’s less controversial than The Da Vinci Code, and it might even spark a conversation or two. Nice bonus, if you ask me.
Rating: 2.5/4 Stars
