3 Stars

I went into the movie expecting what I always expect when I go see a movie, which is a couple of hours of entertainment. As I stated early in my blogging days, I love movies. There are very few movies, Napoleon Dynamite, that I watch and feel as if I have wasted two hours of my life. With that said, here is my non official-like review of Angels and Demons.

The beginning was very slow, a little confusing, and not very well shot. I read the book, so I knew generally what was going on before the good scientist died, but it almost lost me early on. As the movie progressed, there was some acting 101 mistakes made by Tom and a few other actors, and there was not as much action as I expected.

As the Pope was being carried out in the casket, a full body shot was shown. Immediate laughter came from my neighbor and I. He was dressed in mostly red (the Pope, not my my neighbor), which was a little overwhelming. He was wearing what looked like patent leather red shoes. The neighbor laughed as well. It was hilarious, and it came at a good moment. The movie was still moving pretty slow at this point.

I enjoy Tom Hanks in the simple, not so funny, kiddie movies that he does (Big), and then his occasional grown up movie (Apollo 13). I did not know what to expect from him in this movie because I did not see The Davinci Code. I’ve heard good and bad, but I always try to make my own judgment calls.

Somewhere in the movie, my neighbor was playing with 3D glasses that we got in our upgraded kiddie packs , so I think he had zoned out for a while. BTW, $6.75 for a small drink, a small popcorn, and A CANDY (as my neighbor calls it even though is is a whole box) is a great deal. Why didn’t I know about that before?

Anyway, the most enjoyable part of the movie for me was when the preferiti were getting knocked off. There was just enough action, definitely some gory parts (way beyond what I expected from the book in some parts), and a little side of lust (just a little). It was also pretty awesome to see Rome since I have never been there.

The end was pretty disappointing and unrealistic for me. I knew there would be a floating Carmelengo based on the book, but it was so ridiculous. This big parachute floating around and around and around until it lands directly on the steps of the Vatican. Really? I mean yeah, he was scraped up, but not nearly enough to just have jumped from a copter that was beyond too high. His limbs should have been hanging off or soemthing. I think he should have blown up in the helicopter, although it was pretty entertaining to see him set himself on fire. Man, he had some good lungs though.

There were a few other things that may be worth mentioning. It was kind of nice to have the time ticking away as the movie went on. I think it made it not seem as long as it probably would have been if there were no timer shown here and there. I can't imagine them not showing the time, but I like all the clocks in the film. The technology in the movie was pretty great. The brands were also pretty sweet looking.

I’m sure there are other things missing, but I can’t remember since I didn’t write this as soon as I watched the movie. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. It kept my attention for a little more than ¾’s of the film, so I’m satisfied.

Apollo 13:

Jim Lovell: Houston, we have a problem.