Jason KingAngels and Demons ($4-)
May 13th 2009 13:15
Category: No Category
Angels and Demons ($4-)
I just got back from a packed screening of this much anticipated film and was going to write my review tomorrow after work but am so astounded at how bad this film was and how much I was disappointed that I am too worked up to sleep before I get this off my mind.
Firstly a huge thankyou to the wonderful people at Sony that invited me to this screening and I am sorry the film was not better so I could write something glowing but Ron Howard and his merry men have totally massacred this story.
It did not help that the film started out of frame and the projector had a bad lamp flicker and was out of focus for the first few minutes but ontop of this the film starts out so quickly that there was no character development and the pace was too quick to care nor enjoy where the film was leading and then the pace pretty much does not relent to let you catch your breath. Further to this it took me ten minutes to realise just how much Ron Howard and screenwriter David Koepp were going to hack this story to complete obliteration. Never have I seen a film alter a story to this extent, it should have announced "Idea of story taken from Dan Brown". Dan Brown was the Executive Producer - did he not want to slash his wrists or have any influence of the direction his story would take?
The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard returns to direct the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.
What terrifying discovery would make the Vatican turn to Robert Langdon, the man who cracked history's most controversial code? When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati "the most powerful underground organization in history" he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon travels to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow the 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican's only hope for survival. --© Sony Pictures
To begin with there are quite a few characters omited from this film, one of them a lead character. Second, what happens to the characters in the book changes for half of them. Vittoria Vetra is meant to be an adventurous scientist who arrives wearing shorts (strictly forbidden in Vatican City due to showing leg) but in this she is a pretty demure woman who does some science in the beginning then becomes a boring filler. Her father, not needed for the film at all. Even though he is the essential link that bridges the entire crux of the story - the link of a bond forming between religion and science. The proof that the moment of creation is a miracle and scientificly plausible is missed from the film. The motives behind the bad guy are also omitted or only lightly touched upon as is the entire storyline surrounding the press and the cat and mouse played by the bad people.
After you work out that the film is set as a sequal to The Da Vinci Code movie and not the intended (first written) prequal of the books you then get to follow Robert Langdon solve ancient Illuminati secrets that have been hidden for hundreds of years in a matter of minutes. Don't get me wrong - this book was never meant to be scholarly and nobody would ever imagine the global phenomonon that Da Vinci turned into but the book is like a Matthew Reilly book, action based on something substantial and manipulated for pure entertainment. You are meant to be absorbed by the story and believe it. I just could not with this film.
Another ruined element of the film is the visuals, the cinematography is mostly closeups that are so tight they mask the horrible CGI used to recreate most of the important places in Rome that permission would never be granted to film in. The regularity of the closeups and CGI became so annoying my friend Sean laughed out loud at them.
On a positive note the acting is decent and they did the best with what they had. I am shocked Tom Hanks did not read the story first but am confident he signed on with Ron Howard with no consideration. I could totally buy Armin Mueller-Stahl being a pope - as should have happened and for once I did not cringe watching Stellan Skarsgård on screen. The one outstanding part of this film that does deserve awards is the score. Hans Zimmer outdid himself again with a chilling gothic score that was so powerful it outplayed the entire movie.
I could actually keep going with my disection but I think you get my point. I was so massively disappointed in this film adaption from what was quite a decent read. Worth $4-. Out 14th May - everywhere.
I just got back from a packed screening of this much anticipated film and was going to write my review tomorrow after work but am so astounded at how bad this film was and how much I was disappointed that I am too worked up to sleep before I get this off my mind.
Firstly a huge thankyou to the wonderful people at Sony that invited me to this screening and I am sorry the film was not better so I could write something glowing but Ron Howard and his merry men have totally massacred this story.
It did not help that the film started out of frame and the projector had a bad lamp flicker and was out of focus for the first few minutes but ontop of this the film starts out so quickly that there was no character development and the pace was too quick to care nor enjoy where the film was leading and then the pace pretty much does not relent to let you catch your breath. Further to this it took me ten minutes to realise just how much Ron Howard and screenwriter David Koepp were going to hack this story to complete obliteration. Never have I seen a film alter a story to this extent, it should have announced "Idea of story taken from Dan Brown". Dan Brown was the Executive Producer - did he not want to slash his wrists or have any influence of the direction his story would take?
The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard returns to direct the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.
What terrifying discovery would make the Vatican turn to Robert Langdon, the man who cracked history's most controversial code? When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati "the most powerful underground organization in history" he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon travels to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow the 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican's only hope for survival. --© Sony Pictures
To begin with there are quite a few characters omited from this film, one of them a lead character. Second, what happens to the characters in the book changes for half of them. Vittoria Vetra is meant to be an adventurous scientist who arrives wearing shorts (strictly forbidden in Vatican City due to showing leg) but in this she is a pretty demure woman who does some science in the beginning then becomes a boring filler. Her father, not needed for the film at all. Even though he is the essential link that bridges the entire crux of the story - the link of a bond forming between religion and science. The proof that the moment of creation is a miracle and scientificly plausible is missed from the film. The motives behind the bad guy are also omitted or only lightly touched upon as is the entire storyline surrounding the press and the cat and mouse played by the bad people.
After you work out that the film is set as a sequal to The Da Vinci Code movie and not the intended (first written) prequal of the books you then get to follow Robert Langdon solve ancient Illuminati secrets that have been hidden for hundreds of years in a matter of minutes. Don't get me wrong - this book was never meant to be scholarly and nobody would ever imagine the global phenomonon that Da Vinci turned into but the book is like a Matthew Reilly book, action based on something substantial and manipulated for pure entertainment. You are meant to be absorbed by the story and believe it. I just could not with this film.
Another ruined element of the film is the visuals, the cinematography is mostly closeups that are so tight they mask the horrible CGI used to recreate most of the important places in Rome that permission would never be granted to film in. The regularity of the closeups and CGI became so annoying my friend Sean laughed out loud at them.
On a positive note the acting is decent and they did the best with what they had. I am shocked Tom Hanks did not read the story first but am confident he signed on with Ron Howard with no consideration. I could totally buy Armin Mueller-Stahl being a pope - as should have happened and for once I did not cringe watching Stellan Skarsgård on screen. The one outstanding part of this film that does deserve awards is the score. Hans Zimmer outdid himself again with a chilling gothic score that was so powerful it outplayed the entire movie.
I could actually keep going with my disection but I think you get my point. I was so massively disappointed in this film adaption from what was quite a decent read. Worth $4-. Out 14th May - everywhere.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Jason King
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Max - pity you didn't get into the books. I wonder if non book readers will enjoy this - I hope so.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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just out of curiousity . . .
Comment by Jason King
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By the way, saw Angels and Demons: loved it. Much beter than Da Vinci Code.
Comment by Jason King
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Plot and characters were closer to source material in the Da Vinci film - the reason Angels got $4- was because it was a piece of shit. Nothing to read into it. I wanted to leave after about 40mins because I found it embarassing to the storyline.
Question for my curiousity: Have you read the books?
Comment by Lilla
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i am bouyed to hear that this film is better (cinematically) then the previous one, although not surprised. The Da Vinci Code mainly capitalised on the Holy Blood, Holy Grail *discoveries* that only really had the three main points to thrust at us.
Angels and Demons is certainly more sympathetic to Catholicism, which I remember thinking was not a bad thing, as they are not Nazi*s or the Inquisition anymore, afterall. As far as the story goes, a real page turner. I remember I couldn*t put the book down and polished it off in one nights sitting!
I knew the film would be good if they made it, because the storyline is magnificent, and its pleasing to know that Hanks has settled into the role better to act a little better too. When he*s being a ham, its very bad, isn*t it (just thinking about Ladykillers as a classic example). *lol*.
Lilla
Comment by Jason King
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They hacked it to pieces - not much of the original story left. OK - quite a bit too many changes for me to enjoy. I hate compring films and books because books always win but seriously they removed lead characters and major plot points that made the book what it was.
I only recently read Angels to see if it could be as good as the book for Da Vinci - it wasn't but it was a great read. My mum leant me the bigger book with pictures of the places in it and this absorbed me even more. Loved it.
I just considered the religion as another character and never really considered it's like or dislike for either religion - that is up to the religions themselves.
I hope you enjoy the movie - they could have done it SO much better. Massive failure as far as I can tell. And I rarely dislike movies.
I can't win though - I score movies to high and people think I am a fool and then I score them low and people think I am crazy. Haha
But I guess this is why I got into writing about movies - to express my own opinion - not in the hope of swaying people's choices but to be able to express what I thought. I can never do coffee and cake after a movie because I am still absorbed in it at the time to discuss it so this is my way.
I really hope you enjoy it more than I did.
Comment by Lilla
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I missed that bit when I read it the first time and can sort of see where you are coming from.
Maybe I won*t like it after all, either.
You know I will come back and let you know.
Lilla ..
Comment by Jason King
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I am astounded that most reviews I am hearing are praising it - 4 out of 5 on the TV this morning my mum informs me. But I just can't see it.
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(i dont know if that question was actually directed at me, but i thought i might as well answer
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It seems that Tom Hanks wasn't the "magic potion" for this film at all...
Comment by Jason King
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