Comments on: Movie Review: Angels and Demons (2009)

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:19:23 +0000

@Kevin: Funny, everyone in this day seems to take opinions very personally. What happened to the freedom to express yourself that those same people who are trashing an opinion would fight to the death to preserve for themselves? I HATE listening to people bitch about opinions that don't agree with what they believe. SHUT UP CRAZIES.

By: fran2009

fran2009 — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:33:12 +0000

Decent movie. I think the plot was surealist and the antimatter bomb is a purely fictional. Even if it promoted the idea and deception that the Catholic Church and Illuminati are against each other, when are really on the same side.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:12:16 +0000

Of course they final twist was necessary because it was an essential part of the book, anyone who read the book then saw the movie would have complained twice as much as you about taking out the final twist than you did about extra 20 mins. This movie is based off the book, you cant just exclude the ending from the book or you might as well just made a different movie. How can you give a bad rating when they are simply trying to be comprehensive?

By: ajr620

ajr620 — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:48:45 +0000

The thing about the last 20 minutes is that they are in the book semi like that. If you take out the last 20 minutes then you change the entire book. I enjoyed it up until the end.

By: Ed McGrath

Ed McGrath — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:51:10 +0000

The movie follows the book up to the ending and then Ron Howard takes a subtle, but effective swipe at the basic beliefs of the Christians.

For some, the point may be too subtle but for those who got it, the last dig scored a solid hit.
SPOILER..

In the twist ending, Prof. Langdon proves, with a gold key, that Science trumps faith. The Cardinals were ready to act on "signs" from the Holy Spirit but when they were exposed to Scientific knowledge, they quickly changed their minds. Subtle but Effective. I like this ending much more than the one in the book.

By: Brad Brevet

Brad Brevet — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:03:24 +0000

@ash: You need to work on your reading comprehension and stop paying so much attention to the grade as it is pretty much the only part of a review that means absolutely nothing. As for you pointing out my Roger Ebert articles, I offer them both up to you again for closer inspection. Is Roger Ebert Still Credible? and Roger Ebert Responds to Star Haters. Maybe this time you will understand them, if not then there is nothing left to discuss. My opinion of Angels & Demons is up there in black and white... NOT in red. Beyond that, this is not the place to have a grade argument, it is a thread to discuss Angels & Demons (which you have already done). Check the rules for commenting... Stay on topic.

By: Chris C

Chris C — Sat, 16 May 2009 18:34:18 +0000

@ash: If somebody has a desire to see a film, and that desire is diminished by somebody else's convictions, obviously the one deterred by the grade isn't forceful enough in their sentiments.

By: ash

ash — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:31:54 +0000

@adu: how can two movies that get a C+ be enjoyed differently…lol… its flawed thinking … especially if you're talking about Righteous Kill vs A&D… two movies that are not even close in quality

What's more…if i remember correctly, a few months ago this guy took a shot at Roger Ebert for giving movies the same rating…he was going on and on about how 'Mummy 3' was given the same grade as some other better flicks…

I'm not getting worked up or anything, but people see ratings like these and avoid good films… that's all

By: adu

adu — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:20:59 +0000

@ash: Ash I know what you are saying. But you must understand even if two movies get a C+, one can still be better than the other. So Brad could say that he liked A&D more than Righteous Kill despite giving them the same rating. So while I may not agree with the rating for this movie, I'm not getting worked up like you. Relax and dont think so hard :)

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:14:42 +0000

@bryce Actually the ending isn't the same as in the book. Someone else was in the helicopter with The Camerlengo in the book and didn't have a parachute.

By: Topy

Topy — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:41:45 +0000

A&D? Better than Da Vinci Code, B-.

By: bryce

bryce — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:47:10 +0000

The ending is the exact same in the book; therefore, the movie could not have been without it.
The only thing that disappointed me was in the book, the man hired to kidnap and murder the cardinals was made out to be this massive human being. I actually remember being scared of this man while reading. Whoever cast for the film did a poor job on that aspect, but everything else was spot on

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:58:45 +0000

@Eric: I'm aware of that. It just boggles my mind and makes me laugh all at the same time.

By: Philip

Philip — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:54:40 +0000

actually while i hated the second twist ending in 'State Of Play' i loved it in this one..if it had remained !!!!SPOILER!!!! with the idiotic cheesy-hollywood finale with the hero priest jumping orm the hellicopter it would have made the movie too ridiculous..actually i laughed at that scene..!!!!END OF SPOILERS!!!!If it wasn't for the second ending i would have prob. hated the mvie now it's mediocre to good

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:59:04 +0000

@Kevin: People only read headlines and bottom lines. He could have given a glowing review with valid points, but in the end, people only read C+

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:48:22 +0000

This is kinda funny. Why is every taking this rating so personally? It's his opinion, feel free to formulate your own.

Not too mention that Brad has said before that he has a hard time coming up with ratings for these exact reasons, but does it because people expect one.

It's the review that's important, not the rating.

By: Jadium

Jadium — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:42:07 +0000

@ash: I give you a A+ for that response ash

By: ash

ash — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:51:48 +0000

Something is seriously wrong with the grading system in this website … this movie has got the same rating as 'Ghosts of girlfriends past' and 'Righteous Kill'.

You have praised the 2 hours of this flick… were the final 20 minutes so bad as to drag the quality to C+? I think not.

What pleases a critic? Make the movie faithful to the novel and the critics groan…make them a bit different from the novel and the critics moan…… but I guess you have not read the book, because the moments after 'the saviour' falls from the sky are crucial… and those final 20 mins weren't so incredibly bad as to trash it so much so. And i really do not understand what 'greedy storytelling' means.

Agreed that the DaVinci movie sucked hard, and even this one wasn't mindblowing, but that grade is just too harsh. C'mon, 'The Reader', which has more plot holes than a freaking Swiss Cheese has got a higher rating here than Angels and Demons. I'm not a certified movie critic, but even I can tell the difference of quality between this film and 'The Haunting in Connecticut', 'Righteous Kill', 'Seven Pounds', 'Four Christmases', 'Zach and Miri', 'Twilight' and 'Death Race' (all of which have been given more or less the same grade here)

By: adu

adu — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:54:35 +0000

My question is whether that 'forced' twist is the same as in the book? If yes, then I suppose they should have included it.

By: Dan Tralder

Dan Tralder — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:18:54 +0000

I felt the exact same way about the book, just replace '20 minutes' with '20 pages'. I think I won't bother to see this one, thanks for the heads up.

By: oldskool138

oldskool138 — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:53:21 +0000

Remember Eric, the grades don't count for anything. They're only there because people expect films to be graded.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:06:41 +0000

In the book, I remember there being waaaaay more plot twists–that were wackier than the one they left in the movie.

It was okay, they get a gold sticker for topping The Da Vinci Code however I do think the C+ is a little harsh, I honestly think a B- would be fine.