Angels and Demons

If you have not read the book, then you will enjoy the movie more! Having read the book, the unexpected quantum of change in the screenplay was very unsettling for me. However, that's where it stops! The movie in its own rights is worth watching.

The book is about the continuance of the age-old war between church and science. There are moderators amongst scientists and church, who believe science and religion go in parallel and in fact they both support the cause of the other. Of course, both sides are not without hardcore elements that despise and suspect that the other camp is undermining their fundamental belief. The storey is about a fanatic that uses science to establish the righteous place of the church. He was pursued by an academic who would stop at nothing but to stop him.

Some good themes in the book are lost in the movie. In the book, it was Vittoria's father that was killed by the assassin. That by itself was a strong motive for her to seek revenge along with Langdon. In the movie she is a mere prop. In book, the assassin was in fact lured into saving the very establishment, church, which he thinks is destroying. The version of the camerlengo from the book was a highly motivated fanatic, in the movie he turns out to be a bit lame!

However, the screenplay has pleasantly surprising changes compared to the book. The movie is matured in that sense. Where the book slips into a stereotype of a middle-east terrorist with little respect for women, the movie portrays him as a hired assassin. The assassin leaves Langdon and Vittoria unarmed, though he could have easily killed them - 'because I was not asked to kill you!'

While the book goes overboard with church-bashing, the movie is gentle and subtle about church's controversial past.

In spite of the shortcomings, the movie is a better version than the book. From start to finish, the movie goes without any moments of slackening.

But why the heck did they over simplify the fifth symbol, the mythical diamond, of Illuminati!