Scene from the film Angels & Demons _460
Commanders Richter (Skarsgard) and Olivetti (Favino) from the Swiss Guard and the gendarmerie respectively, pledge their support, but Robert and Vittoria have just a few hours to avert catastrophe by following the 400-year-old Path of Illumination.
Angels & Demons is thankfully shorter than its predecessor and ultimately more enjoyable, trading in the history lesson for thrills.
Unfortunately, by excising so much of the plot that underpins Brown’s book, Langdon is reduced to a glorified tour guide.
His dialogue is almost entirely expository, even tutoring the Swiss Guard and the gendarmerie on the Vatican City’s shady past in order to expose dark forces at work in this convoluted yarn. Hanks has buffed up, while McGregor’s Irish accent comes and goes at whim, and Zurer is almost redundant until the finale.
Production values are high throughout and the big set-pieces well orchestrated, including a hilarious and unforgettable moment in St Peter’s Square that proves what goes up must come down. With a bump.
