Angels and Demons
I had a chance to go the theater on Saturday while my daughter was taking a nap and my wife taking some quiet time. My friend came over from Marlborough, MA and we planned to go for Saturday matinee show. Since this was the opening weekend, I was under the hype that the theater would be crowded and we wouldn't be able to get tickets. So I booked the tickets online and went off for a 3pm show.
First, we were surprised that the theater was almost empty. Second, the lemonade and orange soda that we ordered tasted like plain water mixed with sugar. All things aside, both of us being a great fan of the book and the author Dan Brown, we picked the best back row center seats and waited for the extraordinary novel unravel in front of us on the white giant screen.
The movie started off just as it was on the novel. Though yapping is not allowed, we were quietly sharing our experiences about reading that part of the book while the movie went on. I liked all the actors. Ewan McGreggor, is a perfect match for Camerlengo Patrick, very subtle French/English accent. I liked Ayelet Zurer as Langdon's side kick, unlike Sophie of The DaVinci Code. I do agree with my buddy that Tom Hanks has got some old looks. With all the beautiful churches and piazzas and St. Peter's Square the movie sets must have done a tremendous job. Phenomenal! Cannot wait to visit Rome and The Vatican City.
In the end, my buddy's one word comment was the movie lacked the speed that kept the spectators on the edge in The DaVinci Code. However, between The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons books, its the Angels & Demons that kept me on the edge while reading. So even though it was written well, it was not portrayed well. There were times when the Swiss guard led by Langdon would move very slowly and sometimes disappear leaving Langdon alone. Such things go unnoticed while reading a book however on screen so many elements interact that you should not loose control of them while preserving the story.
I would also have to say that the particle collision was the best cinematization you can get out of the novel. Same with the chopper scene (don't want to give away any plot spoilers) close to the end of the movie.
My rating: **** (out of 5)
First, we were surprised that the theater was almost empty. Second, the lemonade and orange soda that we ordered tasted like plain water mixed with sugar. All things aside, both of us being a great fan of the book and the author Dan Brown, we picked the best back row center seats and waited for the extraordinary novel unravel in front of us on the white giant screen.
The movie started off just as it was on the novel. Though yapping is not allowed, we were quietly sharing our experiences about reading that part of the book while the movie went on. I liked all the actors. Ewan McGreggor, is a perfect match for Camerlengo Patrick, very subtle French/English accent. I liked Ayelet Zurer as Langdon's side kick, unlike Sophie of The DaVinci Code. I do agree with my buddy that Tom Hanks has got some old looks. With all the beautiful churches and piazzas and St. Peter's Square the movie sets must have done a tremendous job. Phenomenal! Cannot wait to visit Rome and The Vatican City.
In the end, my buddy's one word comment was the movie lacked the speed that kept the spectators on the edge in The DaVinci Code. However, between The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons books, its the Angels & Demons that kept me on the edge while reading. So even though it was written well, it was not portrayed well. There were times when the Swiss guard led by Langdon would move very slowly and sometimes disappear leaving Langdon alone. Such things go unnoticed while reading a book however on screen so many elements interact that you should not loose control of them while preserving the story.
I would also have to say that the particle collision was the best cinematization you can get out of the novel. Same with the chopper scene (don't want to give away any plot spoilers) close to the end of the movie.
My rating: **** (out of 5)
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