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ANGELS & DEMONSMovie Reviews
Sequel to the film based on Dan Brown's novel 'The Da Vinci Code'. Cast:Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierfrancesco FavinoDirector:Ron HowardRelease Date:May 15, 2009DVD Release:November 24, 2009From:Sony PicturesRating:PG-13Length:2 hr. 18 min.
Angels & Demons played to moderate reviews. • Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "...keeps things moving fast enough - the clock is ticking, after all - that you don't linger over the implausibility of the story." • And Leah Rozen wrote in People, "...full of much high-minded natter about whether science and religion can manage to coexist... in the end pure Hollywood-style hokum." More Reviews Below...
Leah Rozen, People: MODERATE(cg) "While full of much high-minded natter about whether science and religion can manage to coexist, 'Angels' is in the end pure Hollywood-style hokum."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 05/14/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...more entertaining and less self-serious than its predecessor, the dense and dreary yet enormously successful 'The Da Vinci Code.' "(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 05/14/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "An excellent Hanks anchors the film from the first scene -- in which he displays a slim torso while swimming laps -- to the twisty, tense conclusion."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 186 words, 05/14/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Howard's direction combines the visual charm of mass-produced postcards with the mental stimulation of an easy Monday crossword puzzle. It could be worse."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,115 words, 05/15/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the action moves smoothly and swiftly... you won't remember many of the stops after the movie ends, but at least you'll enjoy the ride."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 05/15/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "This kind of film requires us to be very forgiving, and if we are, it promises to entertain. 'Angels & Demons' succeeds."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,018 words, 05/14/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Nail-biting, God-fearing and unfolding at a breakneck pace... ultimately everything wilts under the weight of the complicated story lines of its many saints and sinners."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 05/15/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Could the script have worked much better? Maybe not. The story can't be streamlined and the audience won't sit for five hours."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 05/15/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...lumbering mediocrity. It's more violent than 'Da Vinci'... But what turns the pages in print (or on a Kindle) doesn't necessarily propel a story onscreen."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 05/15/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...seems deathly afraid of generating the same controversy as its predecessor. The characters debate faith and science constantly but carefully reach a draw..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 05/15/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "...a shapely, stylish, white-knuckle horror-thriller that hits its marks with blood and thunder.... The streets of Rome haven't run this red since the Inquisition."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 05/11/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...does pull out of its rut in its final third, with a major plot twist and a spectacular sequence over the skies of Rome. The scene is one of those unexpected gifts..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 809 words, 05/14/09
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...un ritmo algo más ligero, por la simple razón de que la historia está limitada por seis horas de investigación que pueden culminar o no con una explosión..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 05/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's basically 'The Da Vinci Code' all over again, except that instead of destroying organized religion, now our hero has to save it."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 05/14/09
KEY CITIES (19 Reviews)
John Anderson, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "Supposedly sophisticated characters become mere delivery systems for arcane information that Howard can't otherwise get into his story... And then the movie ends."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 821 words, 05/15/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...has the busy convolutions, propulsive effects and generally sleek production values of a brainless summer thriller."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 05/15/09
John DeFore, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: MODERATE(cg) "...the backdrop can't breathe life into an exposition-heavy script that pretends to be far brainier than it is..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 717 words, 05/15/09
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: FAIR(cg) "There are so many plot points and twists that just don't work or don't make any sense, but there's no way to even hint at them that wouldn't serve as a spoiler."(See all of Tom Maurstad's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 05/15/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...keeps things moving fast enough - the clock is ticking, after all - that you don't linger over the implausibility of the story.... the film looks great..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 05/14/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The sequel is a little like 'CSI: Vatican City' - a professor and a physicist search for a stolen casket of antimatter before it blows St. Peter's to kingdom come."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 05/15/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Not all trash is art, but there's an art to making trash. So, father, forgive the makers of 'Angels & Demons,' for they know not what they do."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,094 words, 05/15/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...fast, flashy, empty-minded... When Hanks runs through catacombs with a flashlight in hand, you half expect him to run into Nic Cage coming the other way."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 05/15/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...slips away pretty quickly after you've watched it, in the way of most blockbuster movies, but it's diverting enough while it lasts."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 05/15/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: MODERATE(cg) "TRIM! Writers Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp repeatedly overstate the obvious, then pile on the gobbledygook: theories, symbols, conspiracies."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 05/15/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...at once overwrought and dull, clumsily staged and veering too often, without a hint of humor or irony, into parodic excesses and simplicities."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 05/15/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...what's unusual about 'Angels & Demons' is the money and effort that Howard expends before we stop caring about what the devil's going on."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 05/15/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT(cg) "...simply popcorn escapism dressed in papal robes, without any agenda except to entertain. It's also likely the most intelligent movie of the summer..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 05/14/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's doesn't quite pay off, but it does a much better job of balancing the blasphemy and blood, heresy and heroics that were Brown's ticket to eternal wealth if not eternal life."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 05/15/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...the moment you stop to think about 'Angels and Demons' for even a second, the movie becomes ridiculous and preposterous enough to be laughed off the screen."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 05/15/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: MODERATE(cg) "Remove the red robes and ominous music, and you're left with occasionally gripping but mostly adequate action and a lead character who's only moderately likable."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 05/15/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...avoids heresy that sparks protests. Which is all to the good. Without pretensions to profundity, the movie can be enjoyed for the hell-raising hooey it is."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 05/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's basically 'The Da Vinci Code' all over again, except that instead of destroying organized religion, now our hero has to save it."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 05/14/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Howard's direction combines the visual charm of mass-produced postcards with the mental stimulation of an easy Monday crossword puzzle. It could be worse."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,115 words, 05/15/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...an odd kind of a slog that manages to keep you partially engaged, even at its most esoteric or absurd, despite an endlessly excitable choir..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 05/15/09
David Denby, New Yorker: FAIR "...the material isn't all that different from the buttered-popcorn thrills of the recent 'Mummy' movies... If these movies made any damned sense..."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,234 words, 05/18/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Nail-biting, God-fearing and unfolding at a breakneck pace... ultimately everything wilts under the weight of the complicated story lines of its many saints and sinners."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 05/15/09
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...simply refuses to suggest any kind of romance between Langdon and Vetra. Their total lack of a relationship is so stunning successful that it passes unnoticed."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 742 words, 05/05/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Nail-biting, God-fearing and unfolding at a breakneck pace... ultimately everything wilts under the weight of the complicated story lines of its many saints and sinners."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 05/15/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "Mr. Howard's direction combines the visual charm of mass-produced postcards with the mental stimulation of an easy Monday crossword puzzle. It could be worse."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,115 words, 05/15/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...an odd kind of a slog that manages to keep you partially engaged, even at its most esoteric or absurd, despite an endlessly excitable choir..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 05/15/09
14.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Angels & Demons's reviews are separated by an average 14.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Angels & Demons (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Angels & Demons's reviews cover 81.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 29,485 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 641 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Angels & Demons's reviews on average broke 10.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Angels & Demons's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Angels & Demons (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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