Southern Belle 1:

Like its predecessor, author Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", "Angels & Demons" is based on religious fiction, but has its share of religious critics as well. Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) has been called in by the Vatican to help solve the mystery of who has kidnapped four cardinals before they're murdered. I've read the book and visited all of the locations in Rome shown in the film. By having done both, my enjoyment of the film may have been enhanced. Although most scenes are dark and foreboding, with plenty of violent behavior, loud music, car chases, and melodrama, The Vatican City and icons of Rome were wonderful to "visit" again. This is a fast paced story that may not quite live up to "The Da Vinci Code" in terms of a whodunit, but I found it quite entertaining. 05-19-09

couchdog53:

The Da Vinci Code was entertaining and I enjoyed it as a decent action adventure flick. But this sequel (or prequel?) took me completely by surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't the sophisticated high budget schlock this turned out to be. I don't know what Ron Howard was thinking but I guess the guy is a genius and now he is laughing all the way to the bank. Luckily I was able to not take it seriously otherwise I might have hated it, but it turned out to be a fun flick I could laugh at. I'm talking about a chuckle a minute with a plot so ridiculous it made National Treasure look intelligent. So bad it had more cheesy plot twists than you could shake a stick at. Ayelet Zurer is talented upcoming actress and not hard on the eyes, but she's no Audrey Tatou. However I do admit she looks more like a physicist than Audrey ever could have. There are so many things wrong with this movie and I would love to pick it apart but I don't want to give away any spoilers. Let me just say the anti-matter takes the cake when it comes to ridiculousness. All the stupid details kept my attention and made this so bad that is was good enough to say I liked it. I'm not going to recommend it but I won't say it should be avoided either. I can't predict anyone's reaction. Judging from the other reviews I seem to be the only one who thought it was funny. (5/18/09)

raghus:

The good points of the movie are that it is fast-paced and that some of the scenes are shot really well. Everything else is a bit incredulous. It's almost like watching Nicholas Cage in National Treasure. Tom Hanks' character, Prof. Robert Langdon finds the flimsiest of reasons to follow a clue - and invariably succeeds! His single adversary is so impossibly capable: breaks into CERN, steals anti-matter, kidnaps cardinals from the Sistine Chapel, executes them publicly, elaborately rigs up explosives etc. that it's impossible to take the premise of the movie seriously. That said, it's sort of watchable. Exactly once. (Dec 9, 2009)

BlueVoid:

I hadn't read the book, so I approached 'Angels and Demons' with an open mind. It certainly isn't a perfect film, but overall it was an enjoyable action adventure. A sort of, slightly more intellectual, 'National Treasure'. A lot of the plot is fascinating, owing of course to the source material, but it did seem that some of it was dumbed down, and parts were over sensationalized, to fit the mold of a summer blockbuster. Ron Howard was very careful to tip toe around the potential controversy the film's subject could ignite and tried to stay as neutral as possible on religion. The entire premise can basically be broken down to the long standing debate of science versus religion, so the film certainly had the opportunity to spark some anger. The pandering to stay politically correct wasn't much of a detriment, but the fact that it was so obvious didn't do much to forward the plot either. The best part of the film is just taking in the beautiful locations which the film was shot in Rome. 'Angels and Demons' may not be a memorable movie, but it was entertaining, interesting and if nothing else, a nice bit of eye candy.

simplygreg:

Can you take a mediocre book about a divine scavenger hunt punctuated by lectures about catholic minutia and make it interesting? No. Bad movie? Forgivable. Boring bad movie? That's a sin.

spettit:

I enjoyed this story much more than The Davinci Code. It more or less presented itself as a work based on fiction and dips into SciFi just a bit. The story moved fast, with some cool shots of Rome and the Vatican. However, I didn't like the last ten minutes, which seemed a contrived and forced Deus ex machina plot twist, via a soldier's based faith.

RedSun21:

A nice adaptation of the Dan Brown book. While the film is set up as a sequel to The DaVinci Code, in the books, Angels and Demons is actually the first, and is a much better story. While the search for clues is fun to watch, I just did not feel the pressure of having to figure them out before the next bad thing happens. The clue solving almost seems to easy, which is a problem with trying to squeeze the book in to the time constraints of the film. Overall though, it is still fun to watch Hanks run around Rome figuring out the clues, each leading to bigger and bigger shocks.

CM 1045948:

They did such a good job with the Da Vinci Code, I exepected the same. I was sadly wrong. They changed it so much from the book I was truly upset by it. Perhaps next time I won't read the book first. If I hadn't, I am sure I would have found the movie more enjoyable. As long as you dont' compare the two while watching it, the movie isn't too bad.

AtTheBeach:

"Angels and Demons" is a movie that combines religion, mystery, and suspense that will keep most viewers interested and entertained if not enthralled. Tom Hanks always puts on a good performance and this film is no exception. He plays an agnostic surrounded by men of faith in the Church hierarchy. He is also a Harvard professor and the most knowledgeable about religious symbols, when they appeared and why they are important to the story. He is the star of the movie and keeps the action rolling along. Ewan McGregor plays a convincing role of a Carmelengo, a personal aide to the Pope. He is leading the Church until a new Pope is elected as the Pope has just died. There are two plot lines to keep the viewer intrigued. The Cardinals are electing a new Pope and Tom Hanks and an assortment of others are searching for a bomb with a short time limit. The history of Church events, the role of the men who influenced these events and who contributed works of art to the Church, and the mystery behind the Illuminati, a mysterious sect of scientific minded men, makes the movie unique and well worth watching. The weakest point of the movie is the plot twist at the end. It seems manufactured and out of character as we have come to know them throughout the movie. The sudden turnabout seems out of place and detracts from the story. Overall, "Angels & Demons" is fun to watch, entertaining and even educational in showing how some of the actual history influenced the current Catholic Church.

DrDash:

While I was disappointed in the Da Vinci Code movie I was not with Angels and Demons. Still not as good or detailed as the books but a much better attempt. It was a good movie to watch and especially worth it if you have not read the book. Like the book there is hardly a dull moment.

TR 1798327:

What a snooze fest. Ron Howard should not be allowed to direct suspense/thriller type movies. I have Devil Girl and Jennifers Body for a double feature this weekend.

Robertjm:

Really great film! For all those that wanted to shun this because its written by the "evil" Dan Brown, you really shouldn't. This film takes place prior to the DV Code and has nothing anyone should consider anti-Christian in it. Where DV Code was a slow boiler, this one is a fictional who-done-it that keeps us on a hectic pace because it takes place in four hours.I did guess the ending with about 20 minutes to go...or so I thought as they threw a big left hand curve at me that I didn't see coming. Tom Hanks is building a character that should be remembered for many years in Dr. Robert Langdon. Frankly its probably one of his best character works.

isaac32767:

There's a not a lot to say about this sort of movie. I just want to add an important warning: if you're wandering through a catacomb and stumble over an antimatter bomb, do *not* rush it to the nearest helicopter. An air burst is actually much worse.