Angels & Demons (2009)
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A symbologist and a scientist must race against time to stop a series of murders and a looming explosion in the heart of the Vatican.
The story
Following the sudden death of Pope Pius XVI, the Catholic Church prepares for a papal conclave. Meanwhile, at CERN, a scientist is murdered and a vial of antimatter is stolen by a mysterious group. As the Vatican discovers that a series of cardinals will be killed before the antimatter explodes and destroys the city, they recruit American symbologist Robert Langdon. Langdon joins forces with CERN scientist Dr. Vittoria Vetra to navigate the Vatican's secrets and uncover the plot of the mysterious Illuminati terrorists before the clock strikes midnight.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the death of Pope Pius XVI, the Vatican prepares for a papal conclave while a conspiracy unfolds. At CERN, Dr. Vittoria Vetra discovers her colleague murdered and a vial of antimatter stolen. The Vatican learns that four cardinals will be killed in a sequence of events leading to a catastrophic explosion at midnight. They recruit symbologist Robert Langdon to help. Langdon and Vetra navigate a series of locations—the Chigi Chapel, St. Peter's Square, and Santa Maria della Vittoria—where cardinals are branded with elements of nature. They eventually reach the Piazza Navona and later storm the assassin's lair at Castel Sant'Angelo. They discover the mastermind is actually the Camerlengo, Fr. Patrick McKenna, who orchestrated the events to ensure his own election as Pope. In the climax, McKenna flies the antimatter into the sky to save the city, and the truth of his treachery is revealed via hidden cameras. Cardinal Baggia is elected as Pope Luke, and the Vatican covers up McKenna's actions.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ron Howard
- Writers
- Akiva Goldsman · writer; David Koepp · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hanks · Robert Langdon; Ewan McGregor · Fr. Patrick McKenna; Ayelet Zurer · Dr. Vittoria Vetra; Stellan Skarsgård · Commander Maximilian Richter; Pierfrancesco Favino · Inspector General Ernesto Olivetti; Nikolaj Lie Kaas · the assassin; Armin Mueller-Stahl · Cardinal Strauss
- Genres
- mystery; thriller
- Themes
- science vs. faith; modernity vs. antiquity
- Tone and mood
- fast-paced
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; thriller; conspiracy; religion
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dan Brown's 2000 novel of the same title.
- Franchise connections
- Robert Langdon film series
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who considered it an improvement over its predecessor.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.10 · scale: 10 · review count: 256; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The production used the Caserta Palace as a double for the interior of the Vatican.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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