Movie Review: Angeles & Demons

Review: Angeles & Demons

Beautiful. Graphic. Moving [Fast]. Intriguing. Catholic.

I really enjoyed it. I never read the book so I went into it fresh. Usually when you read the book you are disappointed because it wasn’t as good, but this didn’t play into it for me. I love these kind of stories, I think this exactly the kind of fare that people are interested in these days –esoteric, science, religion, secrets.

A classic Hollywood film, it had great production value, beautiful scenery and stunning visual/special effects. I thoroughly enjoyed the visual spectacle and was surprised (sort of) to learn they did not film at all in Vatican city (why would the Vatican allow it though, right?); the point is, you can hardly tell.

This film is much more sympathetic and kind to Catholicism than “Da Vinci Code”. The inner workings of the church are fascinating to me. The history of the church is also so connected to the history of Western Civilization and the world at large that it makes for great subject matter. The clash of religion and science seemed oddly forced, in the film though it is the central theme of the movie. Chunks of dialogue eluding to it come off as blatant exposition and didn’t really feel real. The whole ‘Illuminati’ thing also didn’t really fit together for me…

Some say the “Illuminati” actually control the church today, but good luck proving that, and you didn’t hear it from me!

Ewan McGregor did good. Tom Hanks was Tom Hanks. And everyone else was pretty good for me.

All in all I liked it.