WARNING: SPOILERS INCLUDED!!

‘Angels and Demons’ is movie based on a Dan Brown novel of the same name, made in the wake of the success of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ – also a Dan Brown novel.

With perhaps the exception of Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon, there is no connection at all between this movie and the ‘Da Vinci Code’. The story begins with the death of a Pope, the theft of anti-matter taken from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider [LHC], the invitation of Professor Langdon to assist in the investigation of a terror threat against the Vatican, the kidnap of the Il preferiti’ (the 4 cardinals who are most likely to succeed as Pope), and return of a secret society known as the Illuminati which appears to be pursuing a age old vendetta against the Catholic Church.

For those who had already read the book, the movie was far less exciting even though I must say it has more suspense than its predecessor. However, other than the general storyline being similar to the book, the details in the movie were markedly different. I will not go into the details of those differences, as it would contain even more spoilers.

Unlike the ‘Da Vinci Code’, where it led Professor Langdon to several places in Paris and later to England, the story of ‘Angels and Demons’ happens solely in Rome and Vatican city, and take the audience across the city is a race against time to save the 4 ‘preferiti’ and to recover the anti-matter, failure of which would have dire consequences for Catholic Church and the total destruction of Vatican City.

In some ways it has showcased Rome to the world – the many churches, its long history from the ancient times, the beauty that many Renaissance artists have bequeath upon it. I am quite sure many people will want to visit Rome and see some Rome for themselves after this.

I find the movie’s pace much faster and in fact, even more thrilling than ‘Da Vinci Code’ itself. Ewan McGregor did well in his role as the Camerlengo even though the movie has modified and even omitted many parts of the book to fit into a film of slightly more than 2 hours. If you like the movie, I personally suggest you should also read the book to find out the differences. The book has a lot more depth and suspense, and is far more intriguing, than the movie.

Funny Pic of the Day: Sex with a colleague at work