"Angels & Demons" - a Vatican Odyssey!!

[JJ Irani]

Hi guys,

Zemina and I watched it this afternoon at the local Village 8 complex!!

Ron Howard (with some superlative performances from Tom Hanks and a few others) does a brilliant job of directing this 2 hour and 20 minute Vatican City saga.

The most amazing thing Zemina and I loved about the movie was the clear diction and pronunciation from every actor. Every single word is clearly spoken and easy to grasp!!

Coupled with the usual haunting and pulsating background music, the movie takes off at an interesting pace and sustains it throughout its screening duration.

The special effects are awesome and the Vatican City sets are absolutely superb - the way only Hollywood can do it!!

And, to all you Rolex lovers, I'm pretty sure the assassin was sporting either a DJ or a DD in a couple of scenes. Just too brief and quick to really make out the exact model.

Don't miss it!! 7 out of 10!!

JJ

[Chris B]

Great critique JJ, I'll probably give it a whirl now ( & I might see the movie lol)

[Redpygmy]

Hi JJ,
I'm considering going out today to see this one. Would it be helpful to be Catholic or is the story believable on it's own? I remember my non-Catholic friends weren't scared a bit by the Exorcist but the Catholics I knew were scared silly.
Larry

[idk01]

Xlnt JJ, We're going to see this next weekend! my better half Jen has just finished the book so we're ready to go

[KJacques]

I'm not a fan of Dan Brown, but I am of Ron Howard. My daughter met and visited with Ron Howard yesterday and was quick to say what a genuinely nice and unaffected person he is. I've enjoyed the movies he's directed since Night Shift and Splash and I look forward to seeing this one.

[Tony-GB]

Nice one JJ. Might give this a go during the week.

[diablojota]

Thanks JJ. I was going to see it this weekend, but I took a pass and will see it this week. I wanted to wait for more reviews to come through as they have been hit or miss.

[chenx15]

Saw it! it was great!

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by Redpygmy

Hi JJ,
I'm considering going out today to see this one. Would it be helpful to be Catholic or is the story believable on it's own? I remember my non-Catholic friends weren't scared a bit by the Exorcist but the Catholics I knew were scared silly.
Larry

I guess it doesn't really matter. Being a Catholic would help, I guess, given the backgroud that you've been taught from a very young age.

The main subject matter is about the Pope and "the moment of creation". Very interesting aspect........and the way the movie goes about it is very absorbing and spell-binding.

JJ

[RogerF]

I caught it late last night. I am a huge Tom Hanks fan and this movie didnt disappoint.

Not going to spoil it for you guys but will comment on a few obvious points.

This movie was different from the first movie(yes I know that with the book A&D takes place before DC) it is not as big on the religious aspects as the first movie. Of course it does revolve around the vatican and higgs boson but to me this film was more of a mystery and action film. I agree with our bald headed kiwi brother in that the scenes in italy and the music was fantastic.

I think what was most memorable and humourous to me about the movie is when we see Ewan looking very much like his Obi Wan character from Star wars, those that have seen it know what I mean, from the attire to the objects he holds in his hands made him look like a jedi knight LOL and the funniest is when they announce the new pope at the end The name was priceless.



Great movie.

[jdc]

I love Rome and been to the Vatican city so will be interested in the movie even though they had to recreate the sets in Hollywood, sounds great fun JJ

[migboy]

loved the book... i'll try to catch a late screening today.

[SSD]

Thanks for the review JJ- Jodye & I are in ASAP!

[onkyo]

Looks good.

Was at the theater today and couldn't figure out what to see.

This will be next.

Thanks for the review JJ.

[Lamone]

Just saw it, it was ok...
I waited and waited for the movie to pick up, it did pick up 20mns before the end.
The book was so much better.

[Goodwatch]

Mmmm, so the rap was clear and the music loud! And the décor wasn't half bad either. That's it?

[pz93c]

Glad you liked it.

I'll be sure and rent it when it comes out.

[DARK_KNIGHT]

The prop's were amazing. I wonder what the budget on this film was?

The general movie was not "excellent" in my book, but the visual part was amazing.

[StarSovereign]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Hi guys,

Zemina and I watched it this afternoon at the local Village 8 complex!!

Ron Howard (with some superlative performances from Tom Hanks and a few others) does a brilliant job of directing this 2 hour and 20 minute Vatican City saga.

The most amazing thing Zemina and I loved about the movie was the clear diction and pronunciation from every actor. Every single word is clearly spoken and easy to grasp!!

Coupled with the usual haunting and pulsating background music, the movie takes off at an interesting pace and sustains it throughout its screening duration.

The special effects are awesome and the Vatican City sets are absolutely superb - the way only Hollywood can do it!!

And, to all you Rolex lovers, I'm pretty sure the assassin was sporting either a DJ or a DD in a couple of scenes. Just too brief and quick to really make out the exact model.

Don't miss it!! 7 out of 10!!

JJ

I too loved it JJ, not the greatest film-making, but it was everything you;d want a summer blockbuster to be, or is that a winter block buster for you in N.Z.?

I thought the movie was miles better than "The DaVinci Code" too. If you haven't yet read "Angels and Demons" I highly recommend it. Although written before "The DaVinci Code" I think it's a suprior story and a superior piece of fiction.

[bodybump]

Just saw it today...not to much suspense though..i was expecting more twist and riddles..but seems like it was to easy for them to solve...its was not bad at all...

[vegasvince]

I just saw it this afternoon, and thought it was more entertaining than Da Vinci Code...I liked Langdon's Mickey Mouse watch!

[boa2]

Originally Posted by bodybump

Just saw it today...not to much suspense though..i was expecting more twist and riddles..but seems like it was to easy for them to solve...its was not bad at all...

Lacked suspense for me. Every five minutes, the smart guy from Harvard and the wizard physicist were literally placed atop the next clue...and unfortunately, I found most of their "a-ha's" left me scratching my head. I really wanted to like this movie, but found it lacked energy. Loved the scenery in Rome, however.

[Quicksilver]

I caught it on my trip to Thailand last week. I thought it was a good film - much better paced than the Da Vinci Code and beautifully shot.

I am a Catholic so I think that certain aspects of the film did resonate deeply with me. The Catholic Church is actually given a far better rap in this than in Da Vinci.

Dan Brown is a pretty lightweight writer (airport fodder with embarrasingly bad characterisation and dialogue) but he does at least entertain.

[DSJ]

We debated seeing this, but ended up going to Star Trek instead. It's still on our list, though!