Amidst the awesome wilderness of movies that get released every day, all across the globe, very few of them actually prove a point which generally falls in the blind spot of all reviewers. That fact is pretty simple, and it determines .. speaking in absolute terms ... whether the movie is good, or bad. What is the fact? Well, it is the origin of the movie.
Hang on, by origin, I do NOT mean WHERE the movie is produced ... Hollywood, Bollywood, or the sort ... but something a tad deeper, and more fundamental. Origin here, refers to the place where the first thoughts of the movie appeared ... the brain of the person OR the true incident.... without which the movie would NOT have been possible.
Need more clarification? Simple ... who do you think was responsible for the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire? Director Danny Boyle? Actor Dev Patel? ... or perhaps Music Director AR Rahman ... if you are dumb enough? No, my dear reader, the answer is none of these .. it was indeed Vikas Swarup, writer of Q and A, who was responsible for the making of the movie. It was in fact, that particular book from where the story-line of Slumdog was extracted. Another example? Fine ... what made the Titanic a film? This time again, as in the previous case, it was NOT the director, nor the actors, nor Celine Dione who was responsible. It was the historic incident, the actual story of the sinking of the Titanic which ... provided an opportunity for the director to make a great film. It was this dramatic incident which provided the platform to create the much exaggerated love-affair. Thus a good movie, in its absolute nascent state, is NOT meant to be a movie at all. It is perhaps meant to be a novel, or a short-story, or may have actually occurred in the past. A good movie is therefore not made in the director's workshop, or in the lofty sets, but in the notepad of a writer or in the annals of history.
So does that mean the director, the actors, the music ... these mean nothing? Of course not ... wait ... let me clear up the muddle I've created in your minds. The main idea, the concept of a movie, MUST come from a person who has mastered the art of creating original stories, and producing original ... thoughts ... worthy of being made into a movie. OR, it must come from an actual incident which occurred in history, and provides, a suitable setting ... to create a movie. The director's job is NOT to provide the idea behind the movie, but to make sure that he chooses the right people, takes the right steps to ensure that the movie is well built ... not only that ... but that it also projects the key idea in the right ... and lastly in an entertaining manner. If the director himself takes the responsibility for creating the story-line right from scratch, then we get something like Rock On, a huge hype in the filmy world, loads of show with zero go, depending only on music and pre-release promotion to support a flimsy plot ... meant to win the easily mouldable mind of the Indian viewer. Of course, exceptions stand out in the face of this attack, but that is solely owing to the brilliance of a few select directors, who have this rare gift of creating an enthralling plot, in addition to directing it well. Then again, exceptions do indeed verify the authenticity of a rule!
Coming back to Angels and Demons, the latest offering from Hollywood. Here's a quick look at the basics:
Director:
Ron Howard
Who's who?
Tom Hanks plays Professor Robert Langdon, symbologist at the Harvard University, and the protagonist in the story
Ayelet Zurer plays Vittoria Vetra, one of the researchers at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, Geneva
Ewan McGregor plays the Camerlengo,
Story by
the award winning author of the da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
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Many of you should be aware of the story in Brown's masterpiece. For those who aren't, then here's a quick gist:
As a result of the scientists' untiring efforts to discover particles that may hold the key to creation, a major break through at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at Geneva, heralds the first steps towards solving this epic mystery: the isolation of anti-matter ... which is everything normal matter is not ... which on coming in contact with even a minute quantity of normal matter, causes annihilation and releases energy, on a scale never imagined before.
But the blow comes thereafter. One of the few canisters carrying a small quantity of this scientific marvel is mysteriously removed, right under the noses of the heavy security, and a key research scientist is found murdered ... in a rather gory manner, with one eye nastily mutilated and separated from the rest of his body. Tragedy strikes simultaneously at the Vatican City, when the Pope dies mysteriously. A message is then intercepted, which claims the rise of an ancient secret society called the Illuminati, and also warns the world that the very existence of the Christian church is now at stake. It threatens to do away with the traditions of the church, to prove once and for all, that it is science which reigns over the concept of God. With this it also threatens to do away with the lives of the four contenders for Papacy (the Cardinals), one at every strike of the Church bell starting 8 : 00 PM that very day. The final clause in the message is the complete destruction of the Vatican, precisely at midnight. Renowned symbologist Robert Langdon is asked to look into this matter. He along with CERN scientist Vittoria aided by the skepticism of the Swiss guards, delve into this problem, and what they discover is is the mind-boggling truth about the origins of an ancient, long-forgotten battle between the Church and the Illuminati. It's a race against time, and against an unknown enemy which has vowed to make the one billion Catholics around the globe pay for their faith.
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Story wise, there is absolutely ... nothing wrong about it. Plot, setting, pace, and the mind-blowing ending ... absolutely fantastic stuff ... could not have been better. The cast is spot on, and Tom Hanks sports a much better hair-do than what he did in the da Vinci Code. Acting is superb. Tom Hanks and Ayelet Zurer do not disappoint. Cinematics are pretty decent (true, not as good as the Dark Knight). The murders are shown in a rather grisly manner though, and the branding of the four cardinals, and the Camerlengo with the red hot iron brands may not go down well with the ... gentle sort. Another appreciable aspect of the film is changing the story line in some places to make it more realistic and less fantastic. For example, in the book Langdon jumps off the chopper, and falls, as far as I remember into a pool of water, and survives. That was pretty coincidental. Hats off to Ron Howard for the clever distortion in that part. (See, I praise directors too). An additional bonus is the glimpses of Rome, and the amazing frescoes of Michelangelo, in the Sistine Chapel which you get to see.
Now the downside. This is difficult ... true ... but not impossible .... to find.
I would wager, that the person who has NOT read the book previously will not understand the story, as much as it is meant to be. He will almost certainly find himself at sea and will probably not like the movie much ... much like a blind man on a roller-coaster ... knowing that a lot is happening around him, yet not being a part of it. For those unfortunate souls, the movie could have been made a l-i-t-t-l-e longer to make stuff more comprehensible, and clearer. It's after all, a little over two hours only. Extending that a bit more would not have harmed.
Two, a slight fault in the story line ... why the assassin did NOT kill Langdon and Vittoria when he easily could have. That would have completely changed the story indeed, and the story would not have existed if that had happened. The, reason he gives for not killing them is that he has not been paid to kill them, and two, they are unarmed. However, as he clarifies, if they pursue him, that will be "a different matter". A s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y lame reason, and a fly in the otherwise perfect ointment.
Here are two things which you should not miss in the movie:
1. the awesome ambigrams. The Illuminati logo, and the four elements Earth, Air, Fire, and Water ... which were branded upon the victims ... crafted into the best possible symmetrical shapes the world has ever witnessed ... easily the most insightful concept in the whole story. The movie, however shows but fleeting glimpses of these artistic marvels, so be on the guard, and don't miss those instances.
and
2. the Humour element.
which is ... scarce, I agree ... like life on Mars. Just three places to smile in this otherwise grim movie. make sure you don't miss those too.
One, when the Camerlengo asks Langdon "Do you believe in God?"
Langdon replies, "My brain tells me not to."
Camerlengo : "And your heart?"
Langdon: "that I'm not meant to."
Two, the Swiss Guard security personnel, after being trapped in the Vatican Archives, with Langdon, without oxygen ... the first thing he does is light a cigar.
Three, near the end, when the new Pope asks Langdon, to be gentle while writing about the church, Langdon replies, "I'll try."
Am I forgetting anything?... let's see ... oh yup ...
Beware!!!! This is for those who haven't read the story.
Do not leave the cinema hall after the explosion aboard the helicopter, assuming it to be the end of the movie. The real story unravels AFTER that. Some fools did exit. I couldn't help chuckling at them. And ... yeah ... those who have read the book, remember the famous Mickey Mouse wrist-watch of Robert Langdon? In the movie you just get a single glimpse of it, so keep your eyes peeled. Not that you will miss much if you don't catch it, but what you get is yet another opportunity to appreciate the director's liking for certain details.
Finally, a clarification:
The term Swiss guards may confuse some people. Swiss guards are NOT Switzerland authorities. They are the official guards of the Vatican.
To wrap it up,
if you have read the book, you SHOULD watch the movie. It's complete entertainment, power packed, and fast-paced, doing everything terribly well. If you haven't read the book, you need to be rather sharp, and you need to hang on to every word uttered, throughout to understand the thing fully, and once you do that, you will not regret it, that's a guarantee. It would be a good idea to take someone who knows the story along with you, that way you would not be knowing the ending beforehand, plus you'll be understanding the movie pretty well.
Rating? 4-stars. One for Dan Brown, one for Ron Howard, one for Tom Hanks, and one for everything else the film does. The fifth one remains nachieved for everything else the film does NOT.
