Writer: Lai Swee Wei

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Watch this if you liked: “The Da Vinci Code”, "National Treasure"

American author Dan Brown's novel "Angels & Demons," published in 2000 was the first to feature symbologist Robert Langdon. And with that, director Ron Howard did an excellent job in positioning the film adaptation as the sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" with additional tweaking to the beginning of the film. Audiences will once again be astounded and thrilled by the rich Roman history embedded in the story and the clues that lead them to uncover the inevitable truth.

Showcasing many of the prominent tourist landmarks, it serves as a great tourism promo video that would entice many around the world to go pay a visit to Rome. But be aware that certain locations in the movie are replicates shot in Los Angeles. This time around, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) jets off to Rome after the Pope's sudden death and the re-election through Papal Conclave. Four cardinals were kidnapped and an anti-matter time bomb is hidden within the Vatican City threatening to blow up the city. Using his intellects, Langdon is given the task of rescuing them and finding the anti-matter using the mysterious Path of Illumination.

As compared to "The Da Vinci Code" film, the pacing is faster giving you little time to breathe and absorb the intricate details. If you're not familiar with the book, you might get lost in translation with the many Biblical and scientific terms. But the excitement of piecing the clues together are indeed entertaining, as the race against time element to save Vatican City has Langdon constantly on the move.

It's been 3 years since we last saw Tom Hanks reprising his role as Langdon and this time looking better with his toned physique. The casts did a great performance including Scottish lad Ewan McGregor with his notable accent and devilish charms (pun intended).

For those who haven't read the book, this film may just compel you to pick up Dan Brown's novel just to read a bit more about the significance about the landmarks, and characters such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Bernini who are intricately linked to the plot. Overall, the collision between science and religion will take you on an action packed journey complete with explosions, mind-blowing CGI and a dose of subtle humour.


Cinema Online, 13 May 2009