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Angels & Demons
2009 139 min Italy, United States of America PG-13 12+
★6.3
Thriller, Mystery
Director: Ron Howard
🎭 Based on
«Angels & Demons»
byDan Brown
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Teaser
Description
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is recruited by the Vatican to investigate the apparent return of the Illuminati – a secret, underground organization – after four cardinals are kidnapped on the night of the papal conclave.
Budget:
$150M
US Gross:
$133.38M
Worldwide:
$485.93M
Starring
Tom Hanks
Actor
Ewan McGregor
Actor
Ayelet Zurer
Actor
Awards
1 win & 5 nominations total
Key opinion
Angels & Demons is generally regarded as a slick, visually impressive thriller that improves on its predecessor's pacing but suffers from significant narrative simplification. While non-readers often find it an engaging and fast-paced spectacle, those familiar with Dan Brown's source material frequently criticize it for cutting essential plot points and weakening character depth.
| Production | High-end production design and cinematography effectively transform Rome and Vatican locations into a grand, immersive visual backdrop. | |
| Acting | Tom Hanks provides a reliable and steady anchor for the film, though some find his portrayal surprisingly subdued or weary compared to the source material. | |
| Pacing | The screenplay prioritizes a relentless, race-against-time narrative structure, resulting in a more kinetic experience than the previous film but at the cost of intellectual nuance. | |
| Adaptation | Devotion to the original novel creates a divide: viewers who haven't read the book often enjoy the thriller as a standalone, while fans of the source feel the adaptation is truncated and misses key character motivations. |