Simple Man Entertainment

Once again I would like to welcome you all back to Simple Man Entertainment. Today we are going to review the movie Angels and Demons. I had read the book some time ago and I had found it to be very well written and thoroughly enjoyable. However I want to discuss the movie, which I have just recently seen and is the vehicle that most will pick to enjoy this thriller. I will say in advance that I really enjoyed the movie even if it didn’t follow the book 100%.

This movie has a very good cast of actors in it. Tom Hanks reprises his role of Doctor of Symbology Robert Langdon of Harvard University. Ewan McGregor plays the role of Camerlango McKenna. Stellan Skarsgard plays Swiss Guard Commander Richter. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Cardinal Strauss. Ayelet Zurer plays Dr. Vittoria Vetra. Other actors include Victor Alfieri, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Marc Fiorini who plays Cardinal Baggia who becomes the next Pope.

This movie begins at the location of the Hadron Collider in Switzerland near Geneva, and spans the border between that country and France. The Hadron Collider is under the control of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CERN under the watchful eye of Father Silvano Bentivoglio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra are attempting to capture antimatter. The purpose of this experiment is to verify the existence of what is known as the God Particle.

Immediately after a successful attempt to capture the antimatter, which they managed to gather three vials of Father Silvano is murdered. Not only was the good father murdered but the culprit also removed one of his eyes and used it to pass a retinal scan, gain entrance to the containment chamber, and steal a vial of the antimatter. Dr. Vetra arrives too late and finds the Father Silvano dead and the antimatter missing.

Meanwhile the Holy Roman Catholic Church is mourning the passing of their Pope known as Pius XVI at the Vatican City in Rome. While waiting for the papal conclave by the College of the Cardinals to convene and choose the next Pope the church falls under the temporary control of Camerlango Patrick McKenna who was picked by the Pope to be his personal assistant. The Camerlango was found by the Pope when he was a child and was raised in the church.

Unfortunately for the church the four preferiti who are considered the most likely Cardinals who might succeed the Pope are kidnapped by an underground organization known as the illuminati. The illuminati threaten to kill each of the four Preferiti one every hour starting at eight at the four alters of the “Path of Illumination”. And then destroy the Vatican at midnight in a burst of light. This forces the church to seek help from symbologist Robert Langdon and Dr. Vetra to save the Preferiti and the Vatican.

What follows is a race against time and foes both unknown and in one case unexpected. Unfortunately for our hero there is not a lot of time and he appears to be constantly thwarted by Commander Richter who commands the Swiss Guard. However our intrepid hero is also aided by Dr. Vetra, Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti, and Lieutenant Valenti of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps in his search for the four “alters of science”.

In order for Professor Langdon to aid the church he needs access to the Vatican Archives, which is something he has been seeking for many years in order to finish his research. In fact the very item he needs from the archive to aid in his search for missing Cardinals is the item he needs to finish his research, which is Galileo Galileis banned book. Using this ancient text he ultimately locates all four alters, but can only save Cardinal Baggia the last of the four Cardinals the first three having been executed, and all wore the elemental brands earth, air, fire, and water.

Upon saving the last of the preferiti Cardinal Baggia who tells Langdon where the Illuminati hide out is located, Langdon along with Dr. Vetra and the carabinieri arrive at the Sant’Angelo, which is a fortress that the church had used both as a stronghold and a prison for it’s so called enemies. There Landon and Vetra find the assassin who spares them because they are not his targets and are unarmed. The assassin also divulges that his contractors are from within the Catholic Church and then dies in an explosion when he starts his get away car.

With time running out Landon and Vetra locate a secret passage that leads them the Vatican and just feet away from the Camerlango who is supposed to be the final victim. In a rush to get to the Camerlango Commander Richter is thought to be the assassin and is killed after the Camerlango has been branded with the fifth sign, which is the Vatican Symbol. They also with the help of the Camerlango locate the vial of antimatter just minutes before it will explode and the Camerlango heroically saves the Vatican City.

I will not go any further here than to say that the ending will certainly surprise you, because it did surprise me. I will also tell you that I heartily recommend this movie if you are looking for a pulse thumping adrenaline rushing thriller, because you will not be disappointed. Another recommendation I have for you all is that if you like to read then you should definitely read the book even if you see the movie, because there is detail in the book that never makes it into the film.

That is all for now from us here at Simple Man Entertainment and I hope you have enjoyed this post. I also hope that you will see this film and read the book. I really believe that reading is good for you and stimulates the mind with intelligence, creativity, and imagination. I also hope you like the video clip at the bottom of this post and that you let us know what you think about Angels and Demons. Have a great day my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Angels and Demons trailer: