Set in The Vatican City shortly after the death of the Pope, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks – Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan) is called in to assist in solving the murder of a scientist and help prevent a terrorist attack that threatens to level the Catholic Faith.

Angels and Demons is the second Dan Brown novel to be adapted for the big screen, as well as the second one to be ruined. Having recently re-read the book, I was looking forward to the film version and was really hoping they hadn’t done a hack job like they had done with the Da Vinci Code. With a fairly strong cast including, Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård, I was hoping that director Ron Howard would be able to deliver a well paced and exciting thriller. Needless to say I was thoroughly disappointed; I found it to be extremely rushed and lacking any substance, I sat there in the cinema bored out of my bracket.

I know it’s no easy feat adapting a novel but in this case they did a truly poor job. I think I was frustrated with how certain characters of the book were left out, important characters at that, and certain details of the story were changed. I know with the volume of content they had to handle could quite easily result in a 3-4 hour story but at the same time I wish they had followed this route. At the end of the day the films creators set about producing another summer blockbuster that’d bring in the crowds. The only reason I see it bringing in the crowds is because of the controversy surrounding its predecessor ‘The Da Vinci Code’. This time round though, Catholic Officials have been noted on record as saying ‘Angels and Demons’ is nothing more than a murder mystery riddled with historical inaccuracies.

One thing I will commend this film on is their digital recreation of areas within Vatican City, something which they were barred from filming on location, due to the Catholic Church seeing the production as being blasphemous. At the same time, this alone cannot save a film from weak dialogue, rushed scenes and below average acting.

Reading other reviews online I can see there is quite a divide in regards to those who are for and against this film. If you are a fan of the novel and usually prefer a book over a film, do not waste your time; wait until it’s on DVD or better yet it’s being aired on television. In my opinion Angels and Demons is nothing more than a glorified ‘National Treasure’ sequel, so if that’s your thing go for it, if not, you’ve been warned.