Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material.
Directed by Ron Howard (The DaVinci Code, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, Parenthood, Splash, Cocoon… )
Starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard
Angels and Demons is yet another film based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel of the same title. A few years ago Brown created a storm of controversy with The Da Vinci Code; Angels and Demons won't bring more than a drizzle.
Angels and Demons features Tom Hanks once again as the Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (the same character we saw in The Da Vinci Code). In this movie, the Vatican asks for Langdon's help after four cardinals are kidnapped by a secret brotherhood called the Illuminati, threatening to kill one an hour, sending Langdon on a wild goose… er… cardinal chase around Rome.
The film actually wasn't as boring as The Da Vinci Code. The action was decent and the performances were top notch. (Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard… how could you go wrong?) Unfortunately, the story was juvenile and predictable. It was a wanna-be National Treasure, with a religious twist.
I brought my friend Eric to the screening with me and he probably got tired of me leaning over and telling him what would happen in the next scene. Yeah… the film was that predictable. Its big surprises were no surprises at all.
This film won't be as offensive to Christians, or more specifically, the Catholic Church as its predecessor (some of you might remember my interview with Josh McDowell about The Da Vinci Code). Yes, Angels and Demons reeked of conspiracy theory, but the screenwriters seemed to seek out some sort of “political correctness” this time around with a message that “faith” and “science” can coincide. Even though the film began with anti-religious tones, the church seemed to redeem itself near the end. One of the cardinals concluded, “Religion is flawed only because man is flawed.” Nothing wrong with that statement.
The Vatican doesn't seem to find this film a threat. A Vatican editorial referred to it as commercial and inaccurate, but “harmless.” I chuckled at this statement from that same AP article:
The movie was “a gigantic and smart commercial operation” filled with “stereotyped characters.” The paper suggested moviegoers could make a game out of finding the many historical inaccuracies in the plot.
That sounds about right.
Don't rush to the theatre for this one, but come DVD release, it's probably worth a rent if nothing else is available.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Not young kids. The film has several very morbid and violent moments, including a man being burned alive. Although our teenage generation would sadly probably just shrug their shoulders and say, “So what. I’ve seen worse.”
Side Note:
We don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
