I’m not holding out much hope for Angels & Demons. Ron Howard and Tom Hanks’ first attempt to transfer Robert Langdon from the page to the screen was a dud and though Dan Brown has made millions from Langdon and the mysteries he “solves”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the stories are ripe for the big screen.
Good taste aside, The Da Vinci Code made a nice pile of cash so it’s no surprise that the studio would want to dig in for a second round. What is surprising is that both Howard and Hanks signed on for a second film; maybe they had a really great time on set. One thing is certain, if the book is any indication, the premise for this one will be less mind numbing than the first. Though it takes place before the events of The Da Vinci Code, the stories have no overlap aside from Langdon and a religious conspiracy which, this time, puts the symbologist in the middle of a mystery involving a murder, the Vatican and the Illuminati.
As expected, the new film features quite the cast including Stellan Skarsgård, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ayelet Zurer as the new love interest and Ewan McGregor in a role that is unlikely to be en par with Paul Bettany’s scene stealing performance in The Da Vinci Code. The trailers are far from awe inspiring but they do suggest that the film will sport some awesome locations and I have to admit, this new poster is very nice.
Angels & Demons opens on May 15th.
Never read the fluff that are the books, but The Da Vinci Code movie had its moments. Paul Bettany was creepily cool in his role and I even thought Hanks did a bang up job as the hero, hair and all, and Tautou was great and stunning as always.
I thought some of the scenes standing alone were very interesting too, but the story itself seemed so sloppy in its structure and some of Howard’s directorial additions (the awfully cheesy “flashback” explanations come to mind) are what I think brought the film down. It tried to be an intelligent man’s National Treasure – still a fun summer popcorn ride, but with some power acting and directing behind it – it just fell short.
T O M H A N K S
I’m not sure if that’s a reason to watch it or avoid it.
whoa. what is wrong with Hanks?
Nothing is wrong with him (he’s not an actor that I go out of my way to watch). I’m just not sure what the anonymous commenter meant by just giving us his name. Could go either way.
“Never read the fluff that are the books, but The Da Vinci Code movie had its moments.”
Must be opposite day.
Wait A minute, I thought they were both crap.
Didn’t bother with either.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. It’s not a good movie. I wouldn’t watch it again and I wouldn’t recommend somebody spend their time on it. It wasn’t a disaster by any means though, just the very definition of mediocrity.
I wish someone would just put all of Bettany’s scenes on YouTube. Even out of context he’s scary.
They are Kurt. Don’t waste your time.