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Let me inform you in advance, this post contains strictly obvious spoilers so don’t blame me if you are spoiler-haters but proceeds to read this anyway :D

I wrote down these things subject to my opinion only since i know nothing about filming whatsoever. I just a fan of Dan Brown novels, and this one i like the most. Since the first time i read the novel i was wondering how would it be if Angels and Demons comes into theater. Would it be stunning, dark and mysterious as the plot story said, or would it be as crappy as Da Vinci Code when it turned into movie?

Here is my opinion after several times watching it. Nooooo i’m not downloading it so that i can watch it over and over again ) I really watched it in bioscoop Pathe Schouwburgplein Rotterdam. 

It’s amazing how they compressed all those complicated stories from the novels to two and almost quarter an hour movie. Pretty smooth i would say, compare to Da Vinci Code which plot is cut here and there and therefore it was somewhat confusing if you don’t read the novel first. Angels and Demons is about how science conflict with church since long centuries ago. Recall Galileo Galilei who was claimed guilty for his theory Heliosentris which said that the sun, NOT the earth is the center of this solar system? Catholic church believe that the center of this universe is earth, between heaven above and hell below. This turned into conspiration of existence of a brotherhood named Illuminati which consisted of scientist, artist and those who were believe that science was merely knowledge and not contrary to the christendom principles whatsoever. On the other hand, catholic church were insanely insulted and resulted in crucifying four of Illuminati member, stamping their chest with cross mark and showing them to public causing fear. 

That’t the idea of this movie. Those dark history floated again when Pope died. Within the “empty throne” time, cardinals from all around tha world gathered in Sistine Kapel inside St. Peter Basilica and voted to elect the new pope. Then four preferiti (best candidate among the cardinals) were kidnapped by Illuminati. It had something to do again with science when one of three antimatter tube was stolen from CERN laboratory in Swiss and was left somewhere in the Vatican City. The problem is, this antimatter thing is very explosive substance and would explode in the midnight of that day. If this happens, “Vatican City will be consumed by light” as the kidnapper said. This is such a well known sentence of Illuminati to show their anger for catholic church. Oh here is more complete sentence :

We will destroy your four pillars, brand your preferiti and sacrifice them on the altars of science…and then bring your church down upon you. Vatican City will be consumed by light.

Then came Robert Langdon, a symbolog from US invited by Olivetti, police head of the Vatican City. With all the signs he found, they tried to set all the kardinals free as the clock was ticking, the cardinals were about to assasinated, and the antimatter was about to explode. This leads to a breathtaking scenes of actions, science, and history. Then came also slight conflicts of camerlengo (person in charge as head of Church after Pope died) with the college head of the cardinals. 

What i felt really missed from this movie are these things :

1.    A Camerlengo shouldn’t be a priest. He should be Cardinals. And a priest is eventually capable to be elected pope, after elevated to rank of Bishop. That’s the fact. And what the movie said? The Camerlengo is merely priest. Second, Cardinal Strauss said that the camerlengo couldn’t be elected pope because he is only a priest. Oh well and the name of the camerlengo is Patrick McKenna instead of Carlo Ventresca as mentioned in the novel. Oh i hate this ) Did they find difficult to find italian cast to be a camerlengo and name it after the novel character? [-(

2.  At the end the fifth brand was revealed. Aaaannnddd… It wasn’t the famous Illuminati diamond ambigram !!! Why why why why did they do this? I mean, this is the most amazing ambigram i’ve ever seen and for this story, it’s bloody important.

3.  The complicated reason and stories about Catholic church and why pope died was too simple in this movie. Yeah well it doesn’t have to be as complete as the novel said but at least, make it more clear :p

4.  To close the story, there should be a dramatic scene of Camerlengo and his “GRAZIE, DIO !” thing. But… It hadn’t. That was disappointing. Er.. But it would be a big question mark if those specific scene was shown on the movie so just leave it as it is and don’t demand more

So… That’s it. I rate 8.5 / 10 for this movie. Not the best after all, but worth to watch. Even for several time. The cast played very good, and oh i was not really seeing the handsome Ewan McGregor. I was seeing this Danish cast, one of the gendarmeria vaticana So, when do you think they make Digital Fortress and Deception Point into movie?

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