Fifteen years ago, The Da Vinci Code was the best adaptation expected from a writer of conspiracy-filled books. Three years after the first volume, Angels and Demons continued the established theme. In 2016, the adaptation went into cinemas for the 4th book. The filmmakers simply decided to skip the third installment because an adaptation about a global conspiracy is better for this time.
With the main character Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) waking up in a hospital with memory loss, it moves many things further into the quest to save the world. His sidekick is a doctor (Felicity Jones) who rescues Dr. Langdon from the clutches of death. Throw in a government agency and a hidden agency working for a scientist who wants to murder half the Earth.
The main character goes from place to place, gradually piecing together clues in his brilliant brain to save the world. He visits many different European cities to reach his destination and rejoin his beloved (Sidse Babett Knudsen), whom he left some time ago. All is eventually saved and the world can live on.
The director (Ron Howard) and his court actor have made a movie full of acting on automatic. Tom Hanks just guarantees quality (even if he doesn't actually act that much), his doctor (Felicity Jones) is even worse, and maybe the other actors save the day, but the find a place, solve a puzzle, move on task is just too easy. Of course, some things change halfway through the film, but anyone who knows the books, let alone the previous films, knows what to expect.
Hans Zimmer's music doesn't help much either, it's just classically Zimmer-esque, computerised and illustrating the situation about to occur. Without the music, the film would be a nothing. There would be nothing to watch, not even the acting performances. Perhaps it is the beautiful historical realities that Landgon visits during his journey that give the film its luster. Beyond that, there's nothing else worth talking about.
I liked the first episode if it was very good. The second part was worse, just less inventive. And the third one continued its downward trend in theaters. But there is a fourth installment planned that will no longer be directed by Ron Howard, so perhaps the tetralogy will end with a respect for the book, but who knows. The as-yet-unfilmed (by me unread) novel The Lost Symbol should raise the bar.
My rating gives it only 70%, the lowest of a trilogy whose first two films I liked a lot more.
Photo © Columbia Pictures
Original release of this article May 10, 2021 – Kritiky.cz
