Angels & Demons

  • Review Date: May 14, 2009
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Thriller
  • 2009
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Talky, violent conspiracy thriller will bore kids and teens.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this adaptation of Dan Brown's pre-Da Vinci Code novel about ancient religious conspiracy theories and a secret society has more deaths than the first movie. The action starts with a gruesome murder and theft, and the violence continues throughout, as cardinals are taken hostage and killed in public, shocking ways. Plus, it's implied that prominent priests and the Vatican's Swiss Guard conspire to commit murder and cover up scandals. Language is generally mild, and there's no sex to speak of; some characters smoke.

  • Messages are mixed. In general, the film is packed with conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and manipulation.
  • Role models are mixed. The main characters act heroically and risk their lives for the
    Catholic Church, even though they're not members. But another character
    hires a contract killer to torture and murder men of faith just to
    further his own agenda.
  • As in the previous film, the movie has a great deal of violence -- and it actually has more deaths than the first movie. Cardinals are literally branded, and three are killed gruesomely. A character is shot, and his eyeball is torn out; characters are routinely shot or stabbed to death. One lights himself on fire, while another is burned a la Joan of Arc.
  • Not applicable.
  • Mostly mild; words include "hell," "damn," "goddamn it," "go to hell," etc.
  • Prominently featured vehicles include a fancy SUV and Mercedes Benzes.
  • Some of the cardinals are shown smoking cigarettes, as is a member of the Swiss Guard.

What's the story?

In The Da Vinci Code, Harvard professor Dr. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) nearly brought down the Catholic Church, but in ANGELS & DEMONS, he's asked to help save it. The pope has died, and just as the conclave of cardinals is about to meet to elect a new one, four of them are taken hostage by a group claiming to be the resurrection of the Illuminati -- an ancient secret society historically at odds with the church. The kidnappers announce that they'll publicly murder each of the hostages and then detonate a powerful vial of anti-matter stolen from a top-secret Swiss project run by the beautiful Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer). Racing against time, the world-renowned symbologist and his new sidekick scientist follow hidden clues to try to stop the killings -- and the possible destruction of the Vatican.


Is it any good?

 

Brown's thrillers are packed with so much exposition that it should come as no surprise that Angels & Demons, like The Da Vinci Code, is overlong and way too talky. It's a bit preposterous to imagine that a priest -- much less a cardinal or the head of the Swiss Guard (Stellan Skarsgard) -- would need a lecture on major milestones in church history. But it's all for the audience's benefit, since few people understand the minutiae about how a pope is elected, what the Illuminati stood for, or even what anti-matter is supposed to achieve.

While director Ron Howard scores some extra points for downplaying the role of the hired assassin and including several high-speed car chases, there's just no saving the film from getting mired in all of Brown's ridiculous, conspiracy-theory details. At least Hanks has a much less conspicuous haircut, and Ewan McGregor, as the late pope's right-hand man, is effective as a priest straddling progressive and conservative paths for the church. But the best part of the thriller isn't the story or the chases -- it's Armin Mueller- Stahl as Cardinal Strauss. He's truly one of the most versatile, international actors of his generation, and he's a pleasure to watch.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the film's premise. The first movie's central conspiracy theory upset Christians across the globe, but this one has been deemed inaccurate but "harmless" by the Catholic Church. Why the change of perspective?

  • In general, does controversy help promote a movie?

  • Discuss how the violence in this movie compares to the first one. Does it have more or less impact? Why?


This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Teen, 16 years old
June 10, 2009
 
If you read the book, Don't See This Movie!
This movie did not bore me in the slightest, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I read the book last year and the movie is nothing like the book. All together they removed about 5 or 6 characters from the book version. And also, I saw people taking 7-year-olds to see this, they didn't even flinch!

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Parent of 17 and 17 year old
June 8, 2009
 
Well Done, But A Horrible Script
Angels and Demons is a movie for the unbiased, and unoffended, because the major theme in this movie is the battle between religion and science. Ron Howard does a very good job directing this film, he uses color, and excellent lighting effects to show the mood of the scene. The cinematography is also very good with the lighting and angles to add mystery, and intensity to the scene. If you really enjoyed the book like myself, prepare to be disapointed. The screenwriters took out some characters, and changed parts of it to keep it under a 2 and a 1/2 hour run time, but i got really mad when they took out Leonardo Vetra, The BBC Reporters, the romance between Robert and Vittoria, and they changed the ending a bit, and they didn't fully explain why these events happened, and the whole thing about the pope's son. All in all this movie is entertaining, and well paced, but it will do little for the uninspired, and get the book lovers angry.

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Parent
January 26, 2010
 
Angels and Demons
An awesome film. Kids might get confused by all the talking, but teens should understand it.

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Teen, 14 years old
June 13, 2011
 
Angels & Demons is edgy, mosly fun
When I saw The Da Vinci Code, I was neither dissapointed or impressed. I was actually a little impressed by Angels & Demons. The movie is MUCH more fast-paced than The Da Vinci Code and has a twist ending. A fun thriller most of the way through, with a few slow streches and some preposterous storytelling, but never completely dull. Note to parents: The movie contains a substancial amount of bloody violence including a burning. Young teens may also find all the Catholic and Illuminati history to be a bit boring.

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Teen, 16 years old
December 10, 2009
 
just make sure that your kids can handle it.
Good movie for those who have seen stuff like this but has mixed messages.

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Teen, 15 years old
May 8, 2010
 
Violence
Two people get burned to death, one person gets branded on screen, and about 10 people get shot.

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Parent of 16 and 18 year old
January 28, 2010
 
Positive Film, Despite the Violence
Though the film has violent and gory moments, the characters are mostly excellent role models and the story is fun and captivating.

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Parent of 15 year old
June 21, 2009
 
A Taut and Tightly-Wound Thriller...
ANGELS AND DEMONS is a very satisfying movie. It is very suspenseful and interesting, and has some great action scenes as well. Acting is great too; Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor satisfy, as always. However, no one under the age of 13 should be admitted into this film under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. While kids aged 14 and up should be fine with the material, it is very violent and several scenes could be very disturbing for kids and teens alike (I even found some scenes very intense). Countless people are shot, one is exploded, and four prominent plot characters are killed in graphic, intense ways (one is suffocated by soil shoved down his throat and the camera unflinchingly shows rats knawing on his body. The second's lungs are punctured and he suffocates, though we don't see anything but him gasping for air. The third and fourth are both burned alive, and while no gore is visible, the camera, once again, doesn't flich as it shows them writhing in pain and agony). There is one intense scene where a man is barely prevented from drowning, and another where two men are almost killed in an isolated room deprived of oxygen. Five people are branded with hot irons (one branding is onscreen the others are not). Blood is displayed in all of these deaths and injuries. However, there is no sex and very, very mild language (one use each of "d**n" and "h*ll".

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Teen, 16 years old
April 3, 2010
 
Good plotline
has a great plot line, but can get a bit graphic...

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Kid, 13 years old
January 27, 2010
 
Cool
I'm 11 a bo and i liked it watched it with ym dad it isn't bad much.

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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Studio:Columbia Tristar
Director:Ron Howard
Cast:Ewan McGregor, Tom Hanks
Genre:Thriller
Run time:130 minutes
Theatrical release date:May 15, 2009
DVD release date:November 24, 2009
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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