Movie Review: Angels & Demons

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons since I heard it was making its way as a movie adaptation a few years ago. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to the hype, though it was still worth seeing.

The plot continues with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) following The Da Vinci Code (2006). This time, the age-old feud between science and religion clash when the church is attacked by The Illuminati, a 400-year-old secret society of freethinkers bent on destroying the Vatican.

Those familiar with both books might be a bit confused about the order of events. Though Angels & Demons was the book prequel to The Da Vinci Code, the movie actually comes second, both in release date and within the plot. This isn't a big deal though, except to say that the church is more hesitant to allow Langdon access to the Vatican archives after his first controversial adventure.

Langdon's character is less patient and a bit edgier this time around, probably because he's got Vatican authorities who absolutely despise him down his throat every two seconds. Not to mention, every minute lost is a minute closer to the death of another Vatican priest, making time a more pressing issue than in the previous film.

But the pacing may prove to be a bit too fast. The result is quick points to the next destination (sometimes, literally), with little time for the neat explanations that really came together nicely in the book. Obviously, a lot gets cut out when a book goes film, but The Da Vinci Code was able to hold its own. This time around, not so much.

The movie's forte is it's stunning visuals and fast action, but remained weak throughout at getting to the heart of the issue (science versus religion) or showing Langdon's thought process between clues.

For that, I give this a solid 7 out of 10. It's worth seeing, but doesn't quite capture the essence of the story nearly as well as the book does.

With that said, I hope Brown's next Langdon book, The Lost Symbol (on shelves September 15), lives up to its hype.