Angels & Demons (2009)
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Reviews Counted:235
Fresh:85
Rotten:150
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: Angels and Demons is a fast-paced thrill ride, and an improvement on the last Dan Brown adaptation, but the storyline too often wavers between implausible and ridiculous, and does not translate effectively to the big screen.
Theatrical Release:14-05-2009
Synopsis: Dan Brown’s novels are packed with fascinating historical tidbits which he ingeniously twists into plots that are so intricate and complex that there is a constant need to inform the reader with... [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgaard
Director: Ron Howard
Reviews for Angels & Demons
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 4/10 |
Angels & Demons is a film for pilgrim sightseers - marvel at the Vatican's lovely paintings as another corpse turns up. Full Review |
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1/5 |
As a cracking tale of code-cracking, Angels & Demons never really works. Howard doesn’t create the drama of a great mind facing great challenges, struggling to see the truth as the clock ticks. Full Review |
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The movie progresses with the smooth patter and rapid movements of a conman gulling tourists with a three-card trick on Sixth Avenue or Oxford Street and there are fewer of those expository moments in The Da Vinci Code. Full Review |
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4/5 |
It's a fine action thriller with a historical plot, but I'd strongly advise fans to read the novel too. It fills out a much more detailed plot. For a bit of lightweight fun, though, you won't go wrong here. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
Thankfully the filmmakers get the tone right this time, with a lively romp that's not afraid to get a bit silly. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Given that it combines religious, scientific, political, art historical and academic lunacy in one package, Angels & Demons is at least more entertaining than the dreary, talky Da Vinci Code. Full Review |
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2/6 |
The re-creation of St Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel on the Hollywood backlot is a production achievement, yet the movie’s about as exciting as looking over someone’s shoulder while they finish a crossword. Full Review |
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2.5/5 |
Mindful of the religious storm which The Da Vinci Code stirred up, Angels & Demons, like Langdon's newly tidy locks, is as demure as a monk on retreat, almost to the point of anonymity. Full Review |
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2/5 |
This graceless and overwrought piece of storytelling will probably earn a Pope’s ransom at the box office, despite its many flaws. Full Review |
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2/5 |
If the film is never quite as inert as The Da Vinci Code, I hesitate to call this a thriller. It's big, bombastic and glossy - but it is also stiff and sometimes ludicrous. Full Review |
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2/5 |
What pleasures there are in Brown's orgy of Catholic intrigue could only be called accidental, and tend towards the guilty – you may want to take a whip. Full Review |
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3/5 |
So the film isn’t entirely without faults, and those of the faith will pick many holes in it. But I was entertained, and I may even read the book. Full Review |
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2/5 |
With such guiltily enjoyable hokum as a Dan Brown page-turner, you wonder what would have happened if someone actually had fun with it and, maybe, let us have some too. By treating trash as art, they've really taken the thrill out of this thriller. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Angels & Demons never really wants to admit that it's an absurd folly masquerading as a high-brow thriller, but it's marginally more dynamic than its predecessor and will probably pass time reasonably well as in-flight entertainment. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Avoiding the pitfalls of The Da Vinci Code, the eventful follow-up makes plenty of its own mis-steps. We now have renewed respect for the corny, endearingly unpretentious National Treasure movies.
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3/5 |
After the weight of expectation awaiting The Da Vinci Code, this is a more enjoyable affair and relaxed affair – a sort of National Treasure for grown-ups. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Atoning for The Da Vinci Code’s cardinal sin – thou shalt not bore – this superior sequel zips along at such a lick you can almost forget the story is utter bollocks. At this rate, The Lost Symbol should be a doozy. Full Review |
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6/10 |
This isn’t a bad film at all, but it could be better… and I am very aware that regardless of what I think it will be huge. Full Review |
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0/5 |
This is a terrible movie with barely concealed contempt for its audience. Please don't go to see it - or another of these calamities may be along next summer. Full Review |
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2/5 |
There may be a decent thriller here, but it's buried alive beneath turgid pacing and ream upon ream of dry-as-dust dialogue. Oh, and Ewan McGregor's in it - rarely a good sign. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Angels & Demons
November 23, 2009:
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
This week in home video, we've got a lot of brand new releases paired up with a handful of old classics making their comebacks. Among the choices from the current year's latest... More...
October 12, 2009:
RT on DVD: Top 10 Angels & Demons
This week sees Tom Hanks return to the role of author Dan Brown's most famous son, Robert Langdon, as the box-office hit Angels & Demons arrives on Blu-ray and DVD. While... More...
May 18, 2009:
Tune In to the Rotten Tomatoes Show This Week!
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...
May 17, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Angels Floats to a #1 Debut
This weekend Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard reteamed for their second Robert Langdon adventure Angels & Demons and reached number one with an opening that was respectable,... More...
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