Thinking Man's (or Woman's) Thriller
Written: May 18 '09
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Fast paced and engaging, of stand out performances from Armin Mueller-Stahl and Ewan McGregor.
Cons: Stellan Skarsgård's leaden performance mars an important role in the film.
The Bottom Line: Fast paced and thought provoking with a couple of stand out performances, well worth the price and time. Refreshing choices of role models and heros.
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| sonorandiva's Full Review: Angels & Demons |
Having thought that The DaVinci Code was enjoyable, but flawed, I went to see Angels & Demons with moderate expectations. I was very pleasantly suprised to find that this movie exceeded my expectations significantly.
I was particularly impressed with how well it avoided demonizing either side of the religious/non-religious divide, considering the nature of the subject matter. There were both good and evil people presented on both sides of the issue, reflective of the real world reality that no side of the divide has a monopoly on either one.
It is extremely refreshing to see a film that honors scientists, academics, and even religious leaders as heros and role models instead of the typical action hero, presenting admirable people that live a life of thought, reflection, and usefulness as people that matter in a crisis.
Tom Hanks turned in his usual dependable performance, but the real treats in this film were Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss in a subtle, nuanced performance that quietly dominated every scene he was in, and Ewan McGregor's delicate handling of the role of the Camerlingo, a role that could have easily been cartoonish in clumsier hands.
Some of the violence in the film, while not particulary graphic by current standards, is fairly shocking and disturbing. Very young or very sensitive viewers may be bothered by it. I found it neither excessive or gratuitious, the scenes being necessary to the storytelling.
Angels & Demons will suck you in from its facinating opening scene in a thoroughly modern particle accelerator to it's shocking ending at the ancient Sistene Chapel. Unlike it's predecessor, this one is on my "must have the DVD" list, if only to enjoy Armin Mueller-Stahl's performance again.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
sonorandiva
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Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 0 members
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