Rico Blanco and an Angels and Demons Review

After getting my phone repaired at the SM North Samsung Service Center, I immediately went home to rest after a long, tiring day at the KomiKon Summer Fiesta featured on my previous post.

I got home, slumped on the couch and turned on the television to catch the newest episode of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood on Animax. Mixing a liter of Apple Juice to refresh my senses, I thought this would be the perfect ending to an exhausting day… Boy, was I wrong!

Little did I know that my older brother and mom was planning to eat out and watch a movie afterwards. We quickly scrambled to get dressed and quickly found ourselves at the new Sbarro branch at the also new SM Fairview Annex. I was quite surprised that Rico Blanco was going to perform right next to where we were eating and it hasn’t started yet!

He sang a lot of old favorites from his Rivermaya days and some songs from his newly released album Your Universe. He was still very good, like he never left the music scene for even a second. His unique voice sent waves upon waves of  charm to the female fans present during the mini-concert and left the rest of us in awe. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture it on camera since I didn’t bring any! T_T

We didn’t finish the gig though since we still had to watch Angels and Demons, under the direction of Ron Howard. Again,  the movie was on a “Single Screening” policy and the guards were so tense right before the movie started. The guy who tore our tickets in half was repeating this line for the Nth time and was quite irritating:

“Angels and Demons po? May I remind you that camcording is prohibited inside the cinema po. Okay. Enjoy the movie!”

I was wondering why are they doing this to presumable innocent movie-goers. As if the constant flashing of the warnings regarding film piracy inside the theater, billboards, posters etc. wasn’t enough. Hello? As if a film pirate would intentionally record a movie on an SM Cinema right? Why don’t they try elsewhere? Last pirated movie I saw that had markings of a foreign theater atmosphere was cam corded somewhere in the Soviet Union. How did I know? Russian subtitles.

Let’s get on with it shall we?

Angels and Demons

Synopsis:

The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard…  The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard returns to direct the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.

What terrifying discovery would make the Vatican turn to Robert Langdon, the man who cracked history’s most controversial code? When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati “the most powerful underground organization in history” he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon travels to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow the 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican’s only hope for survival. –© Sony Pictures

Comments:

Surprisingly, this movie was better than the previous Dan Brown offering. It stayed true to the the novel with only minor changes to the plot. Movie-goers who hasn’t read the book yet, really appreciated the fast-paced action of every scene, the mystery surrounding the Illuminati and the awesome scenery inside the Vatican City.

I wouldn’t touch the plot side of this film since it’s an adaptation of a novel written by Dan Brown. Readers of his novels knows how ridiculous and impossible his plots are, and everyone knows that if we compare Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code novels head-to-head, the latter takes the cake.

The novel was boring as hell, and even with all the puzzle solving, map-reading and the twist at the end, it was still very predictable. (a.k.a. boring) But what Ron Howard did for this movie was surprising! Though he didn’t focus with the history of the sculptures, buildings, etc. as much as the movie, (which made the novel quite a nice read) he focused on the action part of it. Adrenaline was pumping all through out the film and surprising everyone at the end. The cinematography was great and the background music made it more thrilling to watch.

Don’t be fooled by Robert Langdon‘s (Tom Hanks) partner in the film, it’s not a love story. (No, I won’t comment about Tom Hanks. he’s always great.) If you’re looking for romance, this isn’t the movie. Same thing for comedy, everything is taken seriously in this movie. Maybe even too serious. Tom Hanks’ character didn’t even crack a single joke worth laughing at. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thrill ride with an awesome view to boot, this is the movie for you.

Verdict:

3/5 – Good enough to watch with your family and friends.

Just keep in mind though that it has an R-13 rating in the Philippines.

(Meaning that children aged 13 and below cannot go in even with adult supervision.)

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May 17, 2009 | Categories: Concerts, Entertainment, Everyday Life, Movies | Tags: angels and demons, blanco, dan brown, hanks, horward, movie, review, rico, sbarro, sm cinema, the da vinci code, tom, your universe | Leave a comment