Movies: Angels & Demons Looks to Pay for the Sins of Its Predecessor
By Erik SamdahlWill Angels & Demons be better than The Da Vinci Code? How could it not be?
Despite what you may think of Ron Howard, he’s a pretty sturdy director who consistently pumps out solid, entertaining fare. Tom Hanks, respectively, has generally proven to choose his projects wisely as well. And yet, when the two joined forces to adapt the wildly popular “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, something went horribly awry. The movie was boring, plodding and at times cheesy; this was not the cliffhanger-filled suspense novel so many people read.
So, skip ahead a few years and Hanks has lost the hairdo that made him the butt of jokes everywhere to star in Angels & Demons, the prequel/sequel to the first movie. Radio ads have been promising that the movie is “better than The Da Vinci Code in every conceivable way,” but that’s not saying much considering how boring the first flick was. Will Angels & Demons, the only wide release this weekend, be more like Wolverine or Star Trek?
While I’m still debating on whether to see this one opening night, I do have tentatively high hopes for the picture. Why? For one, producer Brian Grazer has gone on the record acknowledging flaws with the first one, and getting past the denial stage is the first step to recovery (is it? I don’t know). The cast is pretty good and includes Ewan McGregor, among others. First and foremost, Angels & Demons is a more exciting, action-oriented story that should lend itself to a better adaptation – as long as Howard doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
The movie trailers haven’t been mesmerizing by any means, and reviews are going to go a long way to make – or break – it. I want to see it, and yet I’m not completely convinced it’s going to be worth the wait.
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Erik Samdahl is a marketing director for a Seattle firm and also writes movie reviews and articles for FilmJabber.com.
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