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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "ANGELS & DEMONS" (2009) (Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons *None Heavy Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Extreme None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Minor Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Dramatic Thriller: As a papal conclave meets to elect a new Pope, a professor and physicist race against time, trying to figure out a series of clues to find four kidnapped cardinals before they are executed and an antimatter device is detonated in Vatican City. PLOT: The Pope has just died and Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (EWAN McGREGOR) is overseeing his funeral while also temporarily serving as acting head of state of Vatican City, all while head elector Cardinal Strauss (ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL) and the rest of the College of Cardinals meet in a papal conclave to select the next pontiff. Yet, the Catholic Church has another and potentially more worrisome development with which it must contend. Not only have four cardinals been kidnapped by an assassin (NIKOLAJ LIE KAAS) with the threat that they'll be executed one per hour, but a vial containing experimental antimatter has also been stolen from a CERN particle collider and is now hidden somewhere in Vatican City. With limited battery power keeping it in stasis, it must be found before midnight when it will explode with the equivalent force of a five kiloton bomb. Accordingly, Inspector Olivetti (PIERFRANCESCO FAVINO) with the Vatican police has sent his subordinate, Claudio Vincenzi (DAVID PASQUESI), to retrieve American professor Robert Langdon (TOM HANKS) to help out. Due to his past investigation and writings, Langdon is no favorite of the Church, but his expertise is desperately needed within the confines of this limited timeline. He quickly discerns that a note left by the assassin involves the Illuminati, a group of scientists and freethinkers who were driven into an underground radical movement by the Church centuries ago with the threat that they would one day get their revenge on religion. Accompanied by CERN physicist Vittoria Vetra (AYELET ZURER) who's intimately knowledgeable about the missing antimatter, Langdon starts to decipher what he believes is a clue of trails, but runs into resistance from Commander Richter (STELLAN SKARSGARD) and his right-hand man, Chartrand (THURE LINDHARDT), of the Swiss Guard. They are aware of Langdon's reputation and thus wary of allowing him access to the Vatican archives he states he needs to solve their problem. From that point on, and as McKenna tries to persuade Cardinal Strauss to evacuate Vatican City, Robert and Vittoria race against time to follow the clues and hopefully save the kidnapped cardinals and prevent the antimatter device from destroying much of Rome. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the original novel, anyone in the cast, or the first movie in this series ("The Da Vinci Code"), they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: TOM HANKS plays a professor who, despite his past run-ins with the Catholic Church and uncovering unsavory secrets and such, is summoned to assist in deciphering clues about the resurgence of the Illuminati and their nefarious plans. He must contend with authority figures who are less than willing to give him free reign as well as other obstacles, all while trying to unravel the mystery in time in hopes of saving the kidnapped cardinals and finding the antimatter device before it detonates. EWAN McGREGOR plays the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and temporary acting head of state of Vatican City who calls for Langdon's help in solving their crisis, all while trying to persuade Cardinal Strauss that they must not allow tradition to undermine public safety. AYELET ZURER plays a CERN physicist who's intimately familiar with the stolen antimatter and thus is actively involved alongside Robert in trying to find it. STELLAN SKARSGARD plays the commander of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican who doesn't like Langdon's presence there and is skeptical about the professor's intentions. PIERFRANCESCO FAVINO plays the chief inspector of the Vatican police who summons Langdon for his expertise and assistance in deciphering the clues that might solve the kidnapping case. NIKOLAJ LIE KAAS plays the assassin who not only kidnaps four cardinals, but kills or attempts to kill them, murders others, and threatens to destroy Vatican city, all for payment from a third party. ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL plays the head elector of the College of Cardinals now in papal conclave to select the next Pope. A keeper of tradition, he bristles at McKenna's suggestions regarding the recent developments. THURE LINDHARDT plays one of Richter's subordinates assigned to make sure Langdon doesn't get any more info than he needs. He briefly smokes. DAVID PASQUESI plays Olivetti's subordinate who retrieves Langdon from America and helps him try to solve the mystery before it's too late. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramatic thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives, while a few religious and colorful phrases are also uttered. Various classic style statues show male and female nudity (and there's brief talk of the past destruction and removal of certain parts of the male ones), while a man is briefly seen swimming in small swim trunks Violence consists of various murders and deaths on and off-screen (by gunfire, a knife, a car bomb and several people being burned alive), and some of that has bloody results (including large branding marks on men's chests, a severed eyeball, rats gnawing on a dead man's head, and the brief view of a partially decomposed corpse), while a large explosion damages buildings and tosses people about. Those scenes and moments of potential peril might be suspenseful and/or unsettling for some viewers. Bad attitudes are present (and some viewers might not like the film's religious content), while some behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, and a few characters briefly smoke. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that midway through the film and then again later. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (spin-around camera shots, bouncy POV running shots, etc.) at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE A miscellaneous man in public holds a bottle (only briefly seen), but we don't know its contents. BLOOD/GORE We see several views of the Pope's body on public display following his death (no changes in skin tone, etc.). Vittoria has a little blood on her chin after positioning her head in front of an eye-scanning device. She then discovers why as she finds a severed and bloody eyeball (with nerves or other such material still attached to the back of it) on the floor, followed by a view of a dead scientist on the floor not far away (there's blood from his empty eye socket as well as some on his lab coat). Robert and others find a dead cardinal bound in a kneeling position, with a rat on his neck. When they get around to the front of him, they see two rats gnawing on his dead face, as well as a bloody and large branding mark on his chest. A girl drops her doll in public, and when she picks it up, there's blood on it. We then see a mortally wounded cardinal lying on some steps, with blood on them and him, as well as a bloody brand mark on his chest (a blood-soaked note is found with the body). Vittoria tries to give him CPR, but the force of her air causes blood from a chest puncture wound to splatter all over Robert, including his face. He's later seen washing that off, while someone outside hoses the blood off the steps. To see if the Pope was murdered, McKenna, Vittoria and others open his sarcophagus and then remove his burial shroud, revealing his discolored and partially decomposed face and severely blackened and extended tongue (from being poisoned several weeks earlier). A person who's been shot has some blood on his head, while a cardinal has a bloody and large brand mark on his chest, and a fire causes a wax figure's face to melt open (somewhat gross looking despite being on an inanimate object). We see the assassin tending to his gunshot shoulder wound, including repeatedly injecting a syringe into the open wound. A rescued cardinal has a bloody branding mark on his chest. Cops find two dead and somewhat bloody cops in a van. We see McKenna with a fresh branding mark on his chest, and later see a flashback to that occurring in a self-inflicted fashion. Some blood runs from the mouth of a man who's just been shot. Robert has a red abrasion on his forehead. McKenna has some bloody cuts and scrapes on his forehead, immediately after an incident and then again in the ER. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The assassin and those he works for obviously have bad attitudes for kidnapping, murder and the threat of destroying Vatican City and much of Rome. Some viewers might not like the film's portrayal of the Catholic Church's actions and stances -- past and/or present -- and the protagonist's attitude toward that, etc. Vittoria tears a page (with clues they need) out of an ancient manuscript and removes that from the Vatican archives. The Vatican lies in its public release of information to the news media in terms of what's happening regarding deaths and such in Vatican City. Richter takes Vittoria scientific journals (that belonged to her colleague) and won't give them back, citing them as evidence. We learn that another person was behind the assassin's actions. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. We hear that the four kidnapped cardinals will each be publically executed, one by one, on the hour, followed by the detonation of an antimatter device (with the equivalency of a five kiloton bomb) hidden somewhere in Vatican City. We hear the antimatter device is running on battery power that will expire around midnight. We see the assassin preparing a brand in a hot fire. Robert and Vittoria go incognito while looking for the suspect among the public in the Pantheon, with all sorts of potentially suspicious people passing by. Robert and Vittoria race against the first time deadline to find a cardinal before he's executed. Robert and Vittoria slowly enter an old building that's under construction, and some firecrackers suddenly go off behind them, sounding like gunfire. As they cautiously move through the building (with lots of sheets of construction plastic hanging down and blocking full views), Vincenzi suddenly shows up, gun in hand, as he searches with them, as does Olivetti, also with gun in hand. They hear various noises and then spot a bound man bound in a kneeling position, with a rat on his neck. When they get around to the front of him, they see two rats gnawing on his dead face, as well as a bloody and large branding mark on his chest. Robert and Vittoria race to find the next cardinal before the next deadline. Chartrand accompanies Robert into a low-oxygen level Vatican archives room. When the power is cut there, the two are stuck with dwindling air and an electronically controlled door that can't be opened. Chartrand tries ramming a library-type cart into the glass wall, but the cart simply bounces off that. Robert then climbs up alongside a tall shelving unit and topples it over, but while it crashes into the glass, it doesn't break it. Chartrand then passes out from lack of oxygen, so Robert takes his handgun and repeatedly shoots the glass, with each shot blasting out little bits, but that doesn't break the glass either. Robert then passes out, with all of that impact on the glass finally causing it to shatter, sending Robert and the bookcase falling hard onto the floor. Robert and others discover a kidnapped cardinal suspended above a raging fire in a church. They race to free him, but the assassin shoots one cop and then another before struggling with a third whose throat he slits (no blood). During this, the cardinal ends up being dropped (but still suspended) into the fire where he burns alive, while the assassin kills others and Robert tries to hide from him. Two more cops enter and the assassin shoots them as well, but not before one shoots him in the shoulder. Robert then kicks out a grate and crawls through that, only to fall down to an ancient floor covered with human skulls. Robert and Vittoria race against another hourly deadline to try to save another cardinal. Two cops, accompanying Robert, slowly approach a suspicious van that's stopped by a plaza fountain. One aims his gun at the assassin who grabs the cop's gun and shoots him twice with his own. When the other cop comes around the back of the van, the assassin holds his gun on his head and then shoots him once there, and then again in the van. He then dumps the next cardinal into the deep fountain, bound to a dolly weighed down by weights. Robert then races there to try to save the man, but can't budge the combined weight up from the water. He then scrambles to free an air line attached to the bottom of the fountain as the cardinal appears to be drowning. He then gets the line into his mouth, followed by bystanders jumping in and lifting the dolly and cardinal above the surface of the water. Robert and Vittoria come across the assassin's lair, unaware that he's hiding there. He then comes out and aims his gun on them before leaving. We see Richter prepare his gun, enter a room where McKenna is located, and lock the door behind him. The antimatter device is discovered, but Vittoria states there isn't enough charge left to remove the battery safely, meaning they're apparently out of luck. A man there then grabs the device, rushes out to a waiting helicopter, and takes off in that, taking it as high as he can, all while watching the battery indicator drop by one bar and then another toward depletion. That new pilot then parachutes out, with the device then detonating. Its shock wave hits the man and his chute, smashing him into the roof of a building, knocking him out (he smacks into a few people on the ground upon "landing"). Meanwhile, the shock wave hits the crowd gathered below, knocking them down and aside, while also sending objects (such as a gate) into some people, while there's also building damage from the blast. A person quickly walks away from authorities, pours a flammable liquid onto himself, and then sets himself on fire, screaming in pain before dying. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Knife/Car bomb/Antimatter bomb: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. The ceremonial guards in Vatican City carry ceremonial spears, while related weapons are seen on display in part of the Vatican. Cops carry machine guns into an old building, looking for the assassin. Statue figures hold swords and spears. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You're scaring the hell out of everyone," "A G*ddamn nightmare," "Jeez," "What the hell?" "Are you insane?" and "It would surprise the hell out of me." While only directly seen once (and done by a person onto themselves), hot and large brands are used to burn various male characters' chests. Vittoria tears a page (with clues they need) out of an ancient manuscript and removes that from the Vatican archives. A person quickly walks away from authorities, pours a flammable liquid onto himself, and then sets himself on fire, screaming in pain before dying. JUMP SCENES Robert and Vittoria slowly enter an old building that's under construction, and some firecrackers suddenly go off behind them, sounding like gunfire. As they cautiously move through the building (with lots of sheets of construction plastic hanging down and blocking full views), Vincenzi suddenly shows up, gun in hand, as he searches with them. A man's car explodes when he starts it (we don't see the death, just the big explosion). MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous and heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 3 hells, 1 damn, 2 uses each of "Oh God" and "Oh my God" and 1 use of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY We see underwater views of Robert swimming laps in small swim trunks. As we see several classic statutes showing male full frontal nudity, Robert remarks about a Pope from long ago who had the genitalia broken off (due to the belief that they would inspire lust), something Robert jokingly refers to as being "unmanned." He states the statues were later amended with fig leave additions, and we briefly see a close-up view of just that. The Creation of Adam painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows male full frontal nudity (seen from a distance). A classic statue shows bare breasts. A classic statue shows male full frontal nudity. SMOKING A few miscellaneous cardinals briefly smoke. Chartrand accompanies Robert into a low-oxygen level Vatican archives room. When Robert notices the guard having difficulty breathing, he asks him if he smokes, and Chartrand replies he does a little bit. Moments later, Robert tells Chartrand he'll buy him a pack of smokes if he translates some text for him. Even later, and after a harrowing experience, Chartrand smokes a cigarette. TENSE FAMILY SCENES McKenna states his father died when McKenna was just nine years old. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The process of the selection of a new pope in the Catholic Church. The comment about the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church being threatened by the modern world. Antimatter and the notion of the "God particle" being found by science. The Illuminati and talk in the film that the Catholic Church drove such scientists and free thinkers underground and turned them into a radical movement centuries ago. Robert's comment that "faith is a gift I've yet to receive." Science and religion and how the two can or should coexist. The comment that religion is flawed because man is flawed. VIOLENCE While we don't see the attack, we do see a severed eyeball and then bloody body of a researcher who's been murdered. Robert and others find a dead cardinal bound in a kneeling position, with a rat on his neck. When they get around to the front of him, they see two rats gnawing on his dead face, as well as a bloody and large branding mark on his chest. Some protestors clash about stem cell research, with some shoving, followed by all-out contact between two groups (lots of mass struggling, etc.). We see a bloody and dying cardinal who's been both branded and stabbed. Chartrand accompanies Robert into a low-oxygen level Vatican archives room. When the power is cut there, the two are stuck with dwindling air and an electronically controlled door that can't be opened. Chartrand tries ramming a library-type cart into the glass wall, but the cart simply bounces off that. Robert then climbs up alongside a tall shelving unit and topples it over, but while it crashes into the glass, it doesn't break it. Chartrand then passes out from lack of oxygen, so Robert takes his handgun and repeatedly shoots the glass, with each shot blasting out little bits, but that doesn't break the glass either. Robert then passes out, with all of that impact on the glass finally causing it to shatter, sending Robert and the bookcase falling hard onto the floor. Robert and others discover a kidnapped cardinal suspended above a raging fire in a church. They race to free him, but the assassin shoots one cop and then another before struggling with a third whose throat he slits (no blood). During this, the cardinal ends up being dropped (but still suspended) into the fire where he burns alive, while the assassin kills others and Robert tries to hide from him. Two more cops enter and the assassin shoots them as well, but not before one shoots him in the shoulder. Robert then kicks out a grate and crawls through that, only to fall down to an ancient floor covered with human skulls. Two cops, accompanying Robert, slowly approach a suspicious van that's stopped by a plaza fountain. One aims his gun at the assassin who grabs the cop's gun and shoots him twice with his own. When the other cop comes around the back of the van, the assassin holds his gun on his head and then shoots him once there, and then again in the van. He then dumps the next cardinal into the deep fountain, bound to a dolly weighed down by weights. Robert then races there to try to save the man. A man's car explodes when he starts it (we don't see the death, just the big explosion). Cops rush in to see one man standing above another. When the one on the floor indicates the one above him is bad, the cops open fire on the apparent assailant, mortally wounding him. Another man then rushes in, mad at the man on the floor, and the cops shoot and presumably kill him as well. This sequence is seen again, but from different angles. The antimatter device is discovered, but Vittoria states there isn't enough charge left to remove the battery safely, meaning they're apparently out of luck. A man there then grabs the device, rushes out to a waiting helicopter, and takes off in that, taking it as high as he can, all while watching the battery indicator drop by one bar and then another toward depletion. That new pilot then parachutes out, with the device then detonating. Its shock wave hits the man and his chute, smashing him into the roof of a building, knocking him out (he smacks into a few people on the ground upon "landing"). Meanwhile, the shock wave hits the crowd gathered below, knocking them down and aside, while also sending objects (such as a gate) into some people, while there's also building damage from the blast. A person quickly walks away from authorities, pours a flammable liquid onto himself, and then sets himself on fire, screaming in pain before dying. Reviewed May 11, 2009 / Posted May 15, 2009

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