Angels and Demons

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Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer

Directed by: Ron Howard

Rating: ★★

Based on the controversial Dan Brown novel of the same name, Angels and Demons shocks on many levels: the science is complete and utter rubbish and so are the religious aspects. But even when you take the hackneyed plot and extremely predictable ‘twist’ at the end into account, I was quite shocked by the fact I even liked the film, especially when I really did not like its predecessor The Da Vinci Code.

The premise of the film involves scientists working in Geneva on the CERN particle accelerator who finally create ‘anti-matter’, which is then stolen by someone to be weaponised and used as a bomb to blow up the Vatican. Cryptologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) is on the case, tracking the secret society that is presumed to be responsible for threatening the church and kidnapping some of its members. Will he be able to hunt down the person doing this before it is too late?

Not having read the book before reviewing the film, the plot is a very interesting and exciting one, leading us quickly around Rome in order for Robert Langdon and his sexy sidekick (Zurer) to decipher clues and save the day. Although just a cryptologist, it seems that Langdon can do everything and anything, and this time round we don’t have to stare at his horrible wig which was very off putting in the first film. Langdon gets into all kinds of scrapes, being trapped, shot at and almost killed, and this is the part of the film that is fast flowing and fun. Although about half an hour too long (the films running time comes in at an uncomfortable two and a half hours!) it just about keeps itself interesting to last until the very end.

In terms of acting, Hanks seems disinterested- with his big fat pay check he doesn’t need to try. His beautiful assistant is almost on a par with a Bond girl, only providing some sexy eye candy. McGregor is entertaining and over the top as a priest, but I think his performance suits the cheesy tone of the film well. Everyone else plays their stereotypical one dimension characters well- almost pantomime-like with the audience jeering or cheering when certain characters appear on screen.

Both scientists and theologists will laugh out loud at some the hideous inaccuracies. I’m no physicist, but I don’t think this is scientifically accurate in any way. But saying that, once we enter the Vatican, none of the theology seems to be accurate either, demonising Catholics and making up things about the church that I’m sure are not true in a very X-Files way. It’s all a conspiracy! The church is evil! They cover up everything! But the film tries to play a very delicate balancing act, either by annoying both groups of people, or appeasing them as both science and religion are vilified and then subsequently redeemed.

Taking into account that this film is a 12A, I was quite shocked at some of the levels of violence and disturbing imagery. Rats eat dead bodies, eyeballs are ripped out, people are set alight whilst alive and throats are slit- is this really child friendly material? Well it doesn’t matter anyway, as I assume that 100% of the student population of Imperial are over 18, unless we have an 8 year old child prodigy skulking around campus somewhere. But my point is that the film was much more grisly then I anticipated, which I think added an extra dimension of suspense and surprise.

Since the Vatican was not allowed to be used as a set, the interior shots are very obvious CGI that does detract from the film. It looks like they are walking in front of a blue screen, and this makes you think about the fact the church did not allow the film makers to shoot the interiors.

Science vs. Religion, an idea instilled in us as soon as we enter the education system. Can’t they just get along? The whole premise of the film pits the two head to head against each other, even the title unsubtly refers to the underlying idea of who are the ‘angels’ and who are the ‘demons’. As a science university, Imperial students must wrestle with this argument every day, as they are many strong Christian Unions on campus, something that surprised me when I first arrived at Imperial. Can the two live happily together? The film tries to answer this with a slightly skewed agenda (science comes out much better), but to appease the American audience, the scriptwriters do try their best to please the religious audience members by adding some saving grace to at least one of the Catholic characters. I think it would be silly for anyone to think that this plot was not written just to be sensationalist, as the Church conspiracy could be replaced by a government conspiracy or something similar with such ease that the archetypal characters would slot into a different setting without anyone noticing.

All in all, the films ideas, both science and theological, are crap. But it is still enjoyable crap, and as long as you know that, then you can just sit back and enjoy the fun and exciting ride, with Tom Hanks placed firmly in the driving seat.