Angels & Demons - 2.75 out of 4 Stars

Who Would Love This Movie: People who liked the adventure of National Treasure and the settings and action of In Bruges...or in non-movie speak, people who want a fun scavenger hunt with historic clues in a European city with some rather graphic violence at times.

Best Mood to Walk In With: Looking for action and having taken your ADD medication...some dialogue moves fast.

Don't See This Movie If: You are looking for a comedy.


Maybe it was my low expectations after the DaVinci Code movie, but I enjoyed Angels & Demons. Granted, it did not capture the intelligence and amazing depth of history and detail that the book did, but if you are simply looking for a fun summer blockbuster, it will deliver.

The first 20 minutes are rather slow and convoluted. At first the script tends to follow the book's dialogue, except you can't go back and make sense of what you just read, so pay attention. However, once you get past the unnecessary "character building" and into the action, it becomes a rather exciting adventure through Rome. The scenery and colors of the film are beautiful, and the cinematography is elegant but not very creative (think every other movie by Ron Howard). I must admit though, I was a little surprised by the violent scenes, not because there were a lot of them, but the images presented were a little disquieting.

Like The DaVinci Code, Tom Hanks is not as suave or captivating as Indiana Jones, which is how I imagined Dr. Robert Langdon to be. But Ewan McGregor delivers with his passionate Catholic fervor and intelligent calm amid the chaos. And the feminists who disliked The DaVinci Code will be pleased to see a female lead (Ayelet Zurer) who maybe does not truly lead the movie, but at least is more than the simpering cheerleader amazed by the men around her that made us all gag in the last installment of this franchise.

Interesting to note, rather than shy away from the controversy of Dan Brown's works with the Catholic Church, at one point Dr. Langdon is directly asked if he is anti-religion. Due to the ending, people of faith probably will not be offended by this movie unless they are very conservative. Ron Howard does a good job keeping the movie mainstream enough to allow respect for both religion and science.

Keep Your Eyes Closed For: "Tom Hanks" swimming in a speedo
Keep Your Eyes Open For: Cardinals smoking cigarettes and talking on cell phones

All in all, if you have already seen Star Trek, this will do. But the voyages of the Starship Enterprise definitely outrank this Roman Holiday...

Movies are Life. ~ K