The film adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel “Angels & Demons” was premiered in 2009. Directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp, this film is an American action mystery thriller based on Dan Brown’s novel.

The filming occurred in Rome, Italy, as well as the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

The film seamlessly combines elements of suspense with religious and historical motifs, taking place in the captivating settings of Rome and the Vatican.

Although the film received a combination of positive and negative reviews from critics, it achieved significant commercial success. This success then led to the creation of following versions such as “Inferno” in 2016.

 “Angels & Demons” is renowned for its brisk storytelling and vivid portrayal of historical landmarks in Rome.

 

CAST:

• • Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, [a Harvard University professor of symbology]

• • Ewan McGregor as Father Patrick McKenna, [the Camerlengo]

• • Ayelet Zurer as Dr. Vittoria Vetra, [a CERN scientist whose antimatter has allegedly been stolen by the Illuminati]

• • Stellan Skarsgård as Commander Maximilian Richter, [head of the Swiss Guard]

• • Pierfrancesco Favino as Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti [Gendarme Corps of Vatican City State]

• • Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the assassin

• • Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss, [Dean of the College of Cardinals and the papal conclave]

• • Thure Lindhardt as Lieutenant Chartrand, [officer of the Swiss Guard]

• • David Pasquesi as Claudio Vincenzi, [a Vatican police officer sent to summon Langdon]

• • Cosimo Fusco as Archbishop Simeon, [prefect of the papal household]

• • Victor Alfieri as Lieutenant Valenti [a Carabinieri officer who takes Langdon to the Fountain of the Four Rivers]

• • Carmen Argenziano as Father Silvano Bentivoglio [a Catholic priest and a CERN scientist who performed the antimatter experiment along with Dr. Vetra]

• • Marc Fiorini as Cardinal Baggia [one of the four preferiti and a cardinal from Milan, Italy and the favorite to succeed as the new pope]

• • Bob Yerkes as Cardinal Guidera [one of the four preferiti and a cardinal from Barcelona, Spain]

• • Franklin Amobi as Cardinal Lamassé [one of the four preferiti and a cardinal from Paris, France]

• • Curt Lowens as Cardinal Ebner [one of the four preferiti and a cardinal from Frankfurt, Germany]

• • Todd Schneider as a Carabiniere [Lieutenant Valenti’s partner who along with him takes Langdon to the Fountain of the Four Rivers]

• • Anna Katarina as a docent [the Pantheon tour guide who tells Langdon the name of the first church]

 

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NOVEL AND THE FILM ADAPTATION:

These differences highlight how the film adaptation of “Angels & Demons” diverges from the novel in character portrayal, plot details, and thematic elements. These changes were likely made to fit the cinematic format and update certain aspects for modern audiences.

Character Names and Relationships:

• • Leonardo Vetra is renamed Silvano Bentivoglio in the film, and his relationship to Vittoria is altered. Additionally, his death scene is modified.

Scenes and Locations:

• • Langdon’s visit to CERN is excluded from the film adaptation.

• • The Boeing X-33 aircraft used by Langdon for travel from the United States to Geneva and Rome is omitted from the film.

Character Dynamics:

• • In the novel, Vittoria serves as a love interest for Langdon, whereas in the film, no romantic attraction exists between them.

• • The character of CERN Director Maximillian Kohler is not present in the film.

Public Interest:

• • The papal conclave receives little public attention in the novel, but the film reflects the increased interest in the 2005 election of Pope Benedict XVI.

Camerlengo Character:

• • Carlo Ventresca, the Italian Camerlengo in the novel, becomes Irish Patrick McKenna, portrayed by Ewan McGregor in the film.

Swiss Guard:

• • Commander Olivetti leads the Swiss Guard with Captain Rocher as his second in the novel. In the film, Rocher (renamed Richter) is the head.

Media Manipulation:

• • The assassin’s manipulation of the BBC to influence their portrayal of his activities does not occur in the film.

Camerlengo’s Parentage:

• • In the novel, Carlo is the pope’s biological son; in the film, he is depicted as the pope’s adoptive son.

Timeline and Acknowledgments:

• • The film briefly acknowledges Langdon’s involvement in the events of “The Da Vinci Code,” while the novel does not, as the events of that book had not yet taken place.

Assassin’s Portrayal:

• • The assassin’s appearance and manner of death differ; in the novel, he’s Middle Eastern and dies from a fall, while in the film, he’s Danish and killed by a car bomb.

Character Roles:

• • Vittoria is kidnapped in the novel but stays with Langdon throughout the film.

Bomb Discovery:

• • The methods to discover the bomb’s location vary significantly between the novel and film.

Election of the Pope:

• • The fate of the papal candidates and the new pope’s election differ between the novel and film.

Symbolism:

• • The fifth brand in the novel incorporates the previous four words, while in the film, it’s the crossed keys symbolizing the papacy.

Ending Scenes:

Langdon receives different gifts in each version – the Illuminati diamond in the novel, and Galileo’s book in the film.

 

Critical response:

1. 1. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 37% of 260 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.10/10. The site’s consensus is that “Angels & Demons is a fast-paced thrill ride, and an improvement on the last Dan Brown adaptation, but the storyline too often wavers between implausible and ridiculous, and does not translate effectively to the big screen.”

1. 1. Metacritic has a rating score of 48 out of 100 based on 36 reviews, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.

1. 1. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale.

1. 1. BBC critic Mark Kermode criticized the film’s “silliness”, saying “Whereas the original movie featured Hanks standing around in darkened rooms explaining the plot to anyone who was still awake, this second salvo cranks up the action by having Tom explain the plot while running—a major breakthrough.”

1. 1. Richard Corliss of Time gave the film a positive review, stating that “Angels & Demons has elemental satisfactions in its blend of movie genre that could appeal to wide segments of the audience.”

1. 1. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four, the same score he had given the previous film, and praised Howard’s direction as an “even-handed job of balancing the scales” and concluding “[the film] promises to entertain.”

1. 1. The Christian Science Monitor gave the film a positive review, claiming the film is “an OK action film.”

1. 1. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, writing that “the movie can be enjoyed for the hell-raising hooey it is.”

1. 1. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that it “manages to keep you partially engaged even at its most esoteric or absurd.”

1. 1. Neil Smith from Total Film gave the film four out of five stars, saying “some of the author’s crazier embellishments are jettisoned in a film that atones for The Da Vinci Code’s cardinal sin — thou shalt not bore.”

1. 1. Kim Newman awarded it three out of five stars, stating “every supporting character acts like an unhelpful idiot to keep the plot stirring, while yet again a seemingly all-powerful conspiracy seems to consist of two whole evil guys.”

(Source : Wikipedia.org)

INTRODUCTION  THEMES AND MOTIFS  CURIOSITY & SUSPENSE  PLOT SUMMARY

CRITICAL ANALYSIS  IMPORTANT CHARACTERS  STRESSFUL MOMENTS & CLIFFHANGERS

DESCRIPTIONS OF KEY OBJECTS, PLACES, ORGANIZATIONS & PROCESSES