ANGELS & DEMONS
RYAN: While walking out of the screening for “Angels & Demons,” the new Ron Howard and Tom Hanks “Da Vinci Code” sequel, I have only two words: Ewan McGregor.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ I know how much you love him, so I felt bad for you watching this movie. That’s all I’m gonna say.
RYAN: I totally fell for this movie. I haven’t read the book, and I normally can predict what’s going to happen in a movie, but I had no clue what was going to happen next in this one. And that’s surprisingly fun!
CAROLINE: I did read the book but it was years ago, so I remembered the gist of it, but not the details. The ending of the movie was little far-fetched for me, but the first two hours of it were riveting. It was so exciting and intense, and I was loving every minute.
RYAN: It’s really a great thriller. And it feels a bit like an action film. There’s intrigue and plenty of twists and turns, and it has one of the best climaxes of any movie I’ve ever seen.
CAROLINE: Can we discuss Tom Hanks for a minute? He’s looking very slim and trim. There’s an opening scene where he’s swimming in a Speedo, and I was like, “Clearly that’s a body double.” We all know he’s chunked out some in his older age. But then he looks up from the pool and it’s totally him! He got in fab shape for this movie.
RYAN: Well, he’s definitely willing to change his appearance for a film, as evidenced in “Cast Away” when he went practically Christian Bale in “Machinist” on us. He clearly worked hard to get in great shape for this film. At his age, to be an action star, which he basically is in this movie, you gotta look good.
CAROLINE: He’s also lost the bad haircut from “Da Vinci Code,” so he’s really looking phenom.
RYAN: We need to discuss Ewan McGregor, because I’ve never been attracted to a priest in my life until now. He’s my favorite actor, and I was swooning every time he came on screen. He really found a different voice for this character and gave a great performance.
CAROLINE: I thought Stellan Skarsgard was awesome, and I also loved the guy who played the Inspector. The female lead is good, but she’s sort of superfluous because you’re so focused on all the big stars.
RYAN: It’s one of the best directed Ron Howard films ever. The camera movement and the cinematography were reminiscent of David Fincher and Robert Zemeckis. And I love films that discuss science vs. religion.
CAROLINE: The premise is just so cool and fascinating, even though I’m sure it’s not entirely based in fact. But I love that it all took place in Rome with real sculptures and statues and churches. Clearly, they had to recreate a lot of it because they couldn’t use the real churches, but they all looked very real. I totally got swept up into it. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more exciting, it did.
RYAN: I’m with you. I was totally involved, and I loved that I didn’t know what twist was coming next.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: I wholeheartedly recommend this movie. It’s a great summer flick, and I think anyone who enjoyed the books or “The Da Vinci Code,” will really love it.
RYAN: I liked it better than “The Da Vinci Code,” which admittedly could be because of Ewan McGregor. M’pal Mark, who saw it with us, read the book and was disappointed by some omissions and changes, but also really enjoyed it. I’d definitely recommend it for the big screen because the effects are amazing and the story is so juicy.
CAROLINE: It got a little kooky for me at the end. The last 20 minutes were a little much; but I adored the rest.
— RATING —
