•
Rating:
I'll be honest: I went to the cinema with strong hopes and expectations, but not without a certain prejudice, considering the previous adaptation of Dan Brown's earlier novel. "Angels and Demons" was undoubtedly the most suitable in Brown's bibliography for a cinematic adaptation: too bad it was, for Ron Howard, yet another flop.
Rome, unspecified date: the pope dies, and the usual conclave is convened, hoping that the seat remains vacant as briefly as possible. Just hours before the doors of the Sistine Chapel close, however, the four cardinals favored for election are kidnapped. The kidnapping is claimed by the Illuminati, a secret sect of scientists and proponents of the scientific faith whose roots are lost in the Renaissance: every hour, a pillar of the conclave will be sacrificed and branded until midnight strikes, at which point the entire Vatican City will be completely destroyed by a powerful antimatter core, produced by CERN in Geneva and stolen from the research center by the sect itself. Joining the race against time is the symbologist professor Robert Langdon, who, together with scientist Vittoria Vetra, will engage in a thrilling treasure hunt among Rome's dark secrets, bringing ancient mysteries and ghosts of the past to light.
The eponymous book boasted a respectable structure: a skillful blend of philosophical elements and reflections on the relationship between science and faith but with all the elements of a modern thriller, combined with that hint of esotericism and mystery that delights enthusiasts of conspiracies, mysteries, and intricate junctions between history and imagination. Although it was written before the more famous "Code", it surely enjoys greater homogeneity between intellectual digressions and the pure investigative component.
The film, on the other hand, starts off on the wrong foot, altering an important section of the novel right from the beginning, the one set at CERN in Geneva, where Vittoria Vetra's father (here simply replaced by "a colleague"), who is also a man of the church, succeeds in creating antimatter, highlighting the unpredictable consequences of scientific progress at the expense of the faith man places in a being superior to him.
The action shifts in the blink of an eye to Rome, and the viewer only learns of the events after they have occurred, thanks to a rather hasty dialogue between the main characters of the plot. Almost two-thirds of the film will be devoted to the gigantic killer hunt without any respite, in a sequence so fast-paced and haphazard that it justifies the unforgivable cuts to the book's plot (Vittoria's kidnapping being the primary one) and often seems banal and almost devoid of any logical sense. This aspect, in particular, undermines part of the commendable work done by Brown in describing the sites of Rome and all the backstories of the works of art and "enlightened" artists that are part of the plot. The killer hired by the alleged sect is then completely stripped of his charm as an assassin from another era, in favor of a more modern characterization suited more to an action movie rather than a historical-esoteric thriller.
The ending is linked to the book by a very thin umbilical cord of events: the cuts and changes to the plot are substantial and significant, so much so that those who have read the book will wonder if they do not remember the unfolding of events well or if it is simply an adaptation with many, too many licenses. For example, they will wonder what happened to Janus, the mysterious leader of the new Illuminati, a figure who should herald a finale that instead bursts into the film unexpectedly, stretching too far beyond the limit of the paper counterpart, where the tale concludes in a more nuanced and ambiguous manner, satisfying and stimulating the reader.
As for the technical data, it surely cannot be hailed as a masterpiece, nor as superior to the average blockbuster of its kind. The direction does not stand out for technique or artistic flair, remaining consistently mediocre and linear; the same goes for the screenplay, markedly unbalanced in moments that should be for clarification and reflection and those that are purely "action": few historical dissertations, few considerations on symbols (even the fifth symbol of the sect is completely different from the one in the book, which was already invented), banal and predictable dissertations on the religion-science relationship. And that is no small feat for a title appreciated primarily for these elements.
Flat as in the "Code" is Tom Hanks' acting, who just can't delineate the figure of Robert Langdon, balancing between preparation and fragility, giving the protagonist a characterization that doesn't engage, doesn't fascinate the audience. The actress playing Vittoria Vetra is no better, though she somewhat compensates for the role slightly better than Audrey Tatou in the previous film. Good is Stellan Skargaard's performance, however, marred by a caricatured and barely credible dubbing. Ewan McGregor is certainly not to be discarded, but he evidently appears uncomfortable in a role that just doesn't suit him. Nothing to say about Pier Francesco Favino, whose part is so limited that it almost seems like a gift from the American production as thanks for filming in Italy. The special effects are perhaps the most refined aspect of the film, considering that the Vatican shots are completely computer-digitalized due to the Vatican's ban on filming in its buildings and locations.
In conclusion, "Angels and Demons" is an enjoyable action thriller for those who haven't read the book. Those who have read Brown's work, however, will only find faults in this film, which appears as the presumptuous watered-down adaptation of a book whose strength lies in its balance of mystery, current affairs, and action. And considering that even Dan Brown's work cannot be defined as a masterpiece, it's worth thinking long and hard about the actual necessity of this film.
Loading comments slowly
