Angels & Demons

When the country falls in love with something and I don’t share that passion, it really makes me question my take on popular culture. For example, I don’t understand the whole Oprah Winfrey cult, and American Idol assaults my sensibilities. I don’t find dream crushing a form of entertainment. Sometimes when I open myself up, I can see the other side and chalk it up to a matter of taste. But other times I become rather perplexed. I try to see what others do, but end up just scratching my head.

When The Da Vinci Code first appeared it created quite a controversy. It has been my experience that these controversies are usually studio generated as a cheap form of advertisement. But when all the dust settles it’s usually much ado about nothing. I went to see The Da Vinci Code and found it rather flat. The premise was interesting, but after all was said and done, it was just a nice little fantasy and I went home with my belief system still intact and with a much better appreciation for the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci.

This time around Angels & Demons promised to be less controversial. The opening box office was really strong so I was hoping for a better film, but I found it to be about as thrilling as a board game. I was expecting so much more, but I was disappointed. The clues just lined up too easily and because there was only one hour in between murders, there was a lot of shuttling back and forth. If the author’s idea of tension is trying to get across town in a city jammed packed with people, well that is nothing new to me. We do it every day in Los Angeles on our freeways. What really made me crazy was when Tom Hanks’ character stopped to wash his face and change his shirt. I was thinking, you don’t have time for that, get moving, time to save a priest. I just didn’t feel the desperation or sense of urgency. Even a smart professor can get rattled. Even the sharpest minds, falter under stress. I was expecting to see more emotional turmoil, more mistakes, every death a failure visible on the face. How was he psychologically able to go on? I was looking for a little more characterization.

I didn’t dislike Angels & Demons, I just don’t understand why everyone else likes it so much. My feelings towards it are very luke warm. And according to the Bible, when something is luke warm, you should spit it out. I won’t go that far, it’s not a bad film, there are some elements in it that do work. I respect the acting, and I especially liked Ewan McGregor’s part. But overall, the film just didn’t excite me. Therefore I give it a mild recommendation; not hot, not cold, just luke warm.

Rating: Rent It     I bet the book is better