Angels & Demons

Ron Howard's follow-up to The Da Vinci Code is a slick, fast-paced adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling novel that races through the story without giving viewers a chance to dwell on the absurdities and improbabilities. When a Catholic pope suddenly dies, members of the Illuminati—an anti-Church secret society dating from ancient times—take advantage of the temporary lapse in leadership to murder the four leading candidates for the job. Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) heads to Rome to decipher ancient clues that might help Roman authorities short-circuit the Illuminati's nefarious plans. Angels & Demons boasts spectacular views of Rome and its breathtaking architecture—a marvelous visual backdrop as we watch Langdon run through his perilous paces. Playing an Italian scientist, Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer seems oddly cast and exhibits no chemistry with Hanks (which was also the case with Hanks' costar Audrey Tautou in The Da Vinci Code), but the rest of the supporting cast is strong, including Ewan McGregor as an earnest cleric, Stellan Skarsgaard as the chief of the Vatican police force, and Armin Mueller-Stahl as a sinister cardinal. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Rome Was Not Built in a Day” making-of featurette (18 min.), “Characters in Search of the True Story” on the cast (17 min.), “CERN: Pushing the Frontiers of Knowledge” on one of the world's largest scientific research centers (15 min.), a “Handling Props” featurette (12 min.), “Writing Angels & Demons” with author Dan Brown and screenwriters David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman (10 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), “This is an Ambigram” segment with artist John Langdon (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are both the theatrical and extended versions of the film, “The Path of Illumination” interactive featurette (with behind-the-scenes footage, historical facts, and film clips), the BD-Live function, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid popcorn flick.] (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 18, 2016—Sony, 148 min., PG-13, Blu-ray: $14.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 2009's Angels & Demons features a great transfer from a 4K scan and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras new to this release include extended cut scenes (10 min.) and “Legacy of Langdon” with new interviews (4 min.). Also included are all previous bonus features and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: if you already own the earlier Blu-ray, this version—timed with the release of the next franchise film, Inferno—is not a necessary purchase.]