Angels and Demons
I actually enjoyed this prequel novel better than its more famous companion, The DaVinci Code. Angels and Demons the film makes good use of the lessons learned from treading on the Catholic Church’s toes last time, and almost completely defangs the author’s voice and intent. As directed by Ron Howard, who is solid and competent, but not flashy, this made this film ever so slightly forgettable. Tom Hanks’ Robert Langdon is a little more diplomatic, a little more muzzled, his feelings about organized religion softened. Angels & Demons suffers from these traits and, like all novel to film adaptations, from a mass over-simplification: the story of tracking the historical Illuminati through the glorious art and architecture of Rome is reduced to a five-pointed timed puzzle game. The stakes are high, the foes are obvious, and Langdon’s knowledge as usual indispensably encyclopedic. That said, it’s still fun to see real live historical treasures, secret doors, coded watermarks, and flamboyant crimes.
The score is almost more bombastic than that in Star Trek, if that’s possible. The locations are amazing, the sculpture and building works stunningly and lovingly shot. Whatever you believe about Dan Brown’s conspiracies, screenwriters David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman, and Howard, really make this ancient city feel like a warren of secrets and beauty and ancient, lost knowledge. Langdon is an academic, a man who studies the symbols of others’ deeply held beliefs, and as a result, he lacks the faith of the followers he studies. He has seen the patterns and commonalities in all the world’s religions and cultures, and by seeing backstage, it’s harder for him to be as awestruck as a follower needs to be. This is such an interesting perspective and character that it’s a shame to “waste” him on a puzzle procedural racing against time (isn’t that Jack Bauer’s job?). Hanks’ natural likeability and solid rational persona make Langdon a guy who can believe can call up all these arcane interpretations.
What always frustrates me about these kinds of movies is the studios bending backward to avoid offending the religious, but no one spares the same courtesy for the sciences. The past eight years is especially egregious, but it’s always been sport to belittle the academics (see: recorded history) with no concerns of “offense.” This screenplay echoes some of the recent regime’s attitudes. Brown does not shy away from any historical, factual dark stains on the histories of religion or of science (though it’s clear that Brown share’s Langdon’s love of empricism over knowledge-suppressed empire-building), and while Science has no trouble acknowledging its failings, we still have to handle Religion with kid gloves.
Why is this relevant as well as irksome? The shadow organizations targeted as the bad guys in the movie, the Illuminati, were academics driven underground by religious persecution (see also: founding of the USA), claiming heresy. The Illuminati were enshrined on American money longer than the mid-20th century In God We Trust, but still Science and Academia is a villain who has to be spanked. Langdon would probably be in the Illuminati (as originally formed at least) if he could, yet he has to hunt them down as the enemy now. To be fair, they are doing some pretty despicable things in this movie, but that is beside the point. It would have been an interesting place to go in that character’s head, but I had to be contented with a fun, visually spectacular ride. It’s enjoyable, toothless, and a disposable smartypants hero movie. These are rare enough that they deserve attention.
MPAA Rating PG-13
Release date 5/15/09
Time in minutes 138
Director Ron Howard
Studio Columbia Pictures
