Trailer Tuesday: Angels and Demons

Sheesh, it's taken me all morning to get this update up thanks to a broken Internet connection...



Right, I'd actually been meaning to profile this May 2009 release for quite a while, but seeing as I've finally managed to finish the novel on which it is based, I feel more confident writing about it now. Also, I'll no longer be spoiling the book for myself by reading in-depth movie details online :)

Anyway, Angels and Demons is based on the religious-themed mystery-thriller by The Da Vinci Code's Dan Brown. The highly dramatic teaser trailer ("We shall have OUR REVENGE") above has been online for about 2 months now.

Basically, Angels and Demons focuses on a dangerous threat to the Vatican which surfaces while the Church's cardinals are locked away in Conclave to elect a new pope. When it looks like the powerful secret organisation, the Illuminati is involved, celebrated Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is called in to defuse the situation before it's too late. He's assisted by feisty CERN scientist Vittoria Vetra, whose powerful new technology has been hijacked by the terrorists, and together they race across Rome, solving centuries-old puzzles and riddles as they attempt to locate the secret Illuminati lair - and save the Catholic Church from destruction.


Unsurprisingly, the same team behind The Da Vinci Code adaptation is responsible for Angels & Demons - screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard. Tom Hanks is also back in the role of Langdon (this time with a much more appropriate hair style), while Ayelet Zurer (as Vetra) and Ewan McGregor (playing priest Carlo Ventresca) are new additions to the cast.

Now I hated the Da Vinci Code movie adaptation. Overly-faithful to its source material, the movie plodded along and felt horribly overlong. Obviously the risks are the same with Angels and Demons, but Grazer and Howard have admitted their earlier Da Vinci Code errors and promised a much more fluid, entertaining movie this time around.

And technically, if they're using the book as a template, and not taking too many creative liberties, Angels and Demons should be a fantastic thrill-ride. With assorted tortures, brandings and graphic deaths, Angels and Demons is far grittier and action-packed than The Da Vinci Code. It is however less controversial than the Da Vinci Code (which riled up people with its claims about the life of Jesus), so whether this movie has the ability to capture the hearts and minds of the public is debatable.

Still, I'm keen for Angels and Demons. Here's hoping Howard and company deliver on their promises come mid-May.

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