Angels & Demons

Rating

Director

Ron Howard

Screenplay

David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman (Novel: Dan Brown)

Length

138 min.

Starring

Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Thure Lindhardt, David Pasquesi, Cosimo Fusco

MPAA Rating

PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material.

Review

When The Da Vinci Code became a hit, the lesser known Angels & Demons developed a slight resurgence in popularity, but it still took three years to bring Dan Brown’s first novel featuring symbologist Robert Langdon to the big screen.

Despite being written first and also taking place prior to The Da Vinci Code, David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman have set Angels & Demons after the first film presumably so as not to confuse the filmgoing audience who apparently has never heard of a prequel before. The story follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) as he searches for four abducted Catholic cardinals to keep them from being assassinated in some grand scheme to destroy the Catholic Church by the legendary secret society known as the Illuminati.

The story is filled with many of the same implausible situations as the first film, though without the wonder and excitement that earlier Ron Howard film possessed. Sadly, this “sequel” tries to accomplish everything the original did while goosing up the explosions, violence and action sequences in an effort to appeal to an even broader audience. The result is a messy, often tedious experiment in religious glad-handing, attempting to avoid any semblance of partiality, after earning stern warnings and rebukes from the Catholic Church because of the last film and even during the filming of this one.

Koepp and Goldsman don’t do the film much justice by keeping the puzzles and intrigue of the first film to a bare minimum. We’re forced to sit back and watch as Langdon discovers clues to bring him to the rumored secret hideout of the Illuminati instead of being pulled into the story and trying to figure out and piece together the pieces alongside him. And while the first film had only a few of those moments, the sense of discovery and fascination are quashed to an unreasonable level in Angels & Demons.

But much of that should be expected from Koepp who, despite a few competent efforts in the past continues to be one of the worst screenwriters working in Hollywood. Yet, he always seems to be brought in last-minute to re-tool a screenplay, which is the only reason I can imagine Akiva Goldsman didn’t do the entire adaptation this time as he did with the original. Goldsman has a similar record as Koepp, so a partnership with such drivel wouldn’t be at all shocking.

Director Ron Howard, who really should consider working with someone other than Goldsman as his best work (Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon) was accomplished without him. But, the real problem with Howard is something that many never be resolved. The man doesn’t seem to understand the concept of style. His films feel dry and uneventful and his ability to pull out terrific performances is virtually non-existent.

The one saving grace is Hans Zimmer’s uncharacteristic score. Normally, his desire to include Irish or Scottish themes in his work is largely vacant, replaced by more traditional symphonic work that embellishes and supports a story that seems all too unimportant.

And what of all the religious-political turmoil surrounding the production? The Catholic Church, based on the original film and novel, denied Howard and company from shooting scenes Vatican City and in several historical temples in the city forcing them to resort to using visual effects to recreate these beautiful cathedrals. It is sad, though, that they would deny such footage because it really should be seen and not hidden away from those who object to your policies.

And what of those policies? There’s a reason the Vatican newspaper declined to write a review of the film declaring it a harmless piece of entertainment. While it does serve to limit publicity, they were entirely correct. There is nothing even remotely political or anti-religion in the film. There are themes that suggest man is fallible, even priests, but for the most part, the Catholic Church escapes the film unscathed and perhaps in a better light. Sure, there are some things that they might still object to in the film, including the revelation of the final culprit and his ultimate demise, but for the most part, this is your apolitical social thriller and that may be one of the reasons why the film ultimately fails.

When compared with other films this year, ones with which I had significant issues or was downright disappointed in, Angels & Demons comes in well below those estimations largely because it isn’t even fun. It’s almost like watching an elementary school production of Little Shop of Horrors. It may be great fun for the students to participate in, but do they or can they really understand the complexities of plot woven into the story? Some might, but most won’t and if Howard, Koepp and Goldsman were the elemental kids in question, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Review Written

May 21, 2009