Director Ron Howard ups the suspense and the mystery, “Angels & Demons” is better than “DaVinci Code” (2006).

But… for some, you might consider waiting until after opening weekend, or even the DVD release.

Parents:  This movie is PG-13, there are some disturbing images that may not be suitable for younger children.
 

(spoiler free !)

The acting is solid, but not overwhelmingly impressive… Tom Hanks is back as Professor Robert Langdon, leading the hunt for answers of who.. or what is threatening the Catholic Church… and solving one puzzle of symbols after another.   Ewan McGregor trades the Jedi robes of “Star Wars” for the robes of the Catholic church, playing Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, a close friend of the Pope who has recently died.

The cinematography, editing, and score all play very well into the movies’ pacing, building the mystery and suspense as the audience follows along on this very intellectual adventure, based on the book by author Dan Brown.

Symbols, symbols, symbols… if I didn’t notice the plethora of symbols in this movie, my Film Professor would be disappointed in me.   I lost count, but there is something symbolic in almost every scene of “Angels & Demons”.    There’s the obvious: the symbols of the catholic church, the catholic neck collar, police badges and uniforms, the media, the bad guys, etc.    And there’s the not as obvious, but quite noticeable: crosses, wings, pentagrams, eyes and circles, water and fire, swords and spears… just to name a few.

In a world full of symbols, there are few places with more symbols than a church setting, and of all of them, the Vatican may just be the one setting with the most symbols per square foot.

But, as Commander Richter (played very well by veteran mean guy Stellan Skarsgård) says, “what a relief, the symbologist is here”… because we audience, have Professor Langdon to guide us through the tangled web of symbolic mysteries going on at the Vatican.    Much like “DaVinci Code”, this movie gives the audience the opportunity to follow along and try to solve some of the puzzles, but to solve some of the clues, we rely on the expert, Professor Langdon to sort it out.

As a movie fan, it was nice to see that “Angels & Demons” makes numerous references to the previous story (“DaVinci Code”) and almost makes fun of itself as Hanks’ Professor Langdon begins to point out things that those who work for and with the Vatican should probably know.

“Angels & Demons” also gives the audience some history lessons and an inside look at the papal conclave, the process of selecting a new Pope.   Its a process the world witnessed just four years ago when the white smoke emerged and Pope Benedict XVI was chosen to succeed Pope John Paul II.

You don’t necessarily have to be versed in Catholicism to understand, or for that matter like this movie.  But the filmmakers do seem to assume that the audiences knows a little something about the Vatican.   For the things that aren’t as clear or well known, this movie does a better job this time around at guiding the audience along, using devices like reporters and other characters to fill in the gaps.

“Angels & Demons” is a better story and has more heart than “DaVinci Code” as Professor Langdon’s faith is tested.   Much like “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) when Dr. Jones is forced to think more deeply about his faith, than just his wits to solve the puzzles.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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