Angels vs Demons

What better way to spend time than to enjoy a great movie? Alternatively, you could go to watch the latest Dan Brown converted story instead.

I read the story a while ago, during the whole Da Vince fiasco, and what this movie does is present that book, in a rather abbreviated style. The story points can't be jumped (unlike, for example, having only one crypto-thingy instead of two), so we are on a whistle-stop tour around the architecture of Rome so each of the four pillars can be reached.

However, while this does make the movie quick moving, it also tends to skate lightly over actual plot motivations, and the "bad guy" doesn't really get to explain himself that well. In the book, there were some very good speeches about the points of science and religion, but that's glossed over for the movie. Kind of disappointing, and would make me want to re-read the story if I didn't already have a pile of books to get to.

Another point to the light touch is that the actors happen to be on screen than actually get to act. And I didn't even realise it was Ewen McGregor or Stellan Skarsgard, but yay again for Armin Mueller-Stahl! Oh, and some guy named Tom Hanks was in it to (although thanks to the Public Enemies trailer, I keep thinking of Hanks as Hanratty).

This is a pretty movie to look at, but not one that will draw you in to a deep story.

(There's an hour long presentation on the Science of Angels and Demons on Youtube.)

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