On May 15th, the film adaptation of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons hit theaters. This occult thriller stars Tom Hanks in the lead role of Robert Langdon, a Harvard Symbologist seeking to solve a murder case and save Vatican City from a potential threat.

The movie centers on a threat from the Illuminati, an old underground secret society consisting mostly of scientists. After the pope passes away, the Illuminati kidnap four of potential candidates for the papacy and threaten to publically brand and execute one each hour. The illuminati also threaten to destroy the Vatican after all the candidates are dead if the money is not received. All of this is in response to a past incident concerning the Illuminati and the Catholic Church.

Langdon is flown to the scene because he is considered an expert on the subject. Langdon and a team of security officers from the Vatican are tasked with trying to save the four priests and finding the hidden bomb.

I found Angels and Demons to be a highly entertaining film packed with action and suspense. I had not read the Dan Brown novel before the movie, however would like to read it after seeing the film adaptation.

I’ll have to admit that most of the movie felt like National Treasure on steroids, but I liked National Treasure so that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. I kept waiting for the camera to pan back on Langdon and it to be Nicholas Cage instead of Tom Hanks.

However this film is definitely not as light hearted as National Treasure and contains some highly disturbing images. Multiple scenes are quite graphic and this movie was definitely pushing the PG-13 rating. I would not bring younger kids into this movie expecting something semi kid friendly.

This movie was no academy award winner, or a movie that I would buy as soon as it came to DVD, but movies for me are supposed to provide entertainment and Angels and Demons succeeded. The film also provoked some interesting questions, and had a huge twist that those who haven’t read the book will most likely not see coming.

If you enjoy thriller movies, or just want to see a thought provoking and entertaining movie, I would recommend Angels and Demons. Just don’t go into it expecting a world class film.

--Submitted by Bradley Wilson, Staff Reporter