Angels & Demons

I have read two of Dan Brown's books, The Da Vinci Code and Deception Point. I read the former in three days. It's a record for me until now. My issue with Dan Brown is once you get to read one of his books, you already know what to expect in the next books. The culprit is always the least you expect. It wasn't exciting anymore when I was reading Deception Point. I finished it just so I finished it.

Came DVC, the movie. Tom Hanks was not the Robert Langdon on my mind. And he definitely wasn't watching the movie. Who are my candidates as Robert Langdon? The perfect ones would be Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Robert de Niro or Pierce Brosnan if Brown's movies were filmed during the 70s or the 80s. My husband was thinking it could be Russel Crowe now. I don't think so. Maybe Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves(???), even Gary Sinise.

I must say Tom Hanks as Langdon looked better playing the role of a Harvard professor expert on religious and historic symbols and meanings in Angels & Demons than in DVC. His hair is trimmed here. I was really disappointed in DVC, the movie, because it failed to deliver the excitement the book offered. Sure, you cannot put every detail from the book to the wide screen. But definitely, there are ways to make an adaptation exciting and comparable with its source or reference especially if it is a best seller.

I have not read Angels & Demons. All my friends who have read it keep telling me then that it is more heart pounding and more entertaining than DVC. Maybe the reason why I was not disappointed with Angels & Demons, the movie, is because I have not read the book. I had no expectations. I just want to see a whodunit. There is nothing great about the movie but a lot better than DVC in terms of its breakneck pace. Vatican City was presented as a labyrinth of riddles and mysteries.

My thoughts at random:
* I picked the most unlikely traitor which is how a Dan Brown story goes. I was correct.

* A priest's wardrobe suits Ewan McGregor soooo well.

* Suspend your disbelief. In five minutes thereabouts, an hour's worth (maybe more) of leaps, chasing, solving puzzles happened. An assassin single-handedly implemented the kidnapping, staging of the priests execution in different areas, hiding the antimatter, what-have-you.

* Good effects of the explosion. So the antimatter just gives a beautiful glowing sky if it explodes up there but will ruin the whole Vatican City if it explodes on land.

* Vatican is a magnificent backdrop.

* I want to read more about The Illuminati, The Path of Illumination, the antimatter, the Church of Illumination.

It has touches of science versus religion but just enjoy the movie for its chills and thrills. I just might buy The Lost Symbol.