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ANGELS & DEMONS

With Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Pierfrancesco Favino, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Written by David Koepp & Akiva Goldsman based on the novel by Dan Brown
Directed by Ron Howard

The Pope is dead and his successor must be chosen. However, this fairly straight forward (but ritual filled) process has run into more than just a snag. Someone is bent to wreak vengeance upon the Catholic Church and the Vatican, in the name of the Illuminati, the science-based organization oppressed, attacked and driven underground by the church across the centuries. These people included scientists, artists and a wide range of free thinkers, like Galileo. What this force has done is kidnap four of the frontrunners to become the new Pope, each to be killed on the hour – at the fifth hour a stolen canister of dark matter set to explode and destroy the Vatican City.
Robert Langdon is called in for his symbolism expertise by the Vatican (which has always looked upon him with disfavour), and a race against time erupts as they try to follow clues leading to the location of each priest’s pre-planned symbolic murder. With little co-operation from the Vatican police, Langdon is joined by a scientist (involved with the dark matter experiment at the location where this volatile package was stolen) in a chase to try and avert a catastrophe. With clues and signs cultivated from Catholic and science history, as well as art and architecture, the puzzle is connected with danger constantly around each corner.
This story is in fact
Dan Brown’s prequel, written before The Da Vinci Code, but after the hit adaptation of that best-seller, director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks returned for some more of his intriguing, religious flavoured mystery and suspense, with another one on the way.
Personally I found The Da Vinci Code far more interesting and original than this one, but it serves up some highly entertaining drama with a sizable amount of twists and red herrings.

DVD Extras:
This single disc edition of Angels & Demons is not as loaded as The Da Vinci Code's DVD release, but includes some featurettes covering the story, its development and translation to the big screen, the props, costumes, an all-round production rundown including cinematography and scenes involving fire, as well as an interesting piece on the ambigrams appearing in the movie which includes words that read the same when turned upside down or reflect another (like the Illuminati, the film's title, earth, air, water and fire).
(The Special Features section printed on the back cover seems suspiciously empty - but we reckon this space is filled with more extras on a double disc version)

4 / B
- Paul Blom


0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B - C


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A: Multiple Viewing Potential
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C: Once Should Suffice

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