’Angels & Demons is harmless’ says Vatican
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The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 08, 2009 00:00
VATICAN CITY - Reviewers at the Vatican's newspaper have passed judgment on "Angels & Demons," finding the religious thriller commercial and inaccurate, but concluding it is "harmless" entertainment and not a danger to the church.
L'Osservatore Romano ran a review and an editorial in Wednesday's edition critiquing the movie based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel of the same name.
"Angels & Demons" had its world premiere Monday in Rome, after director Ron Howard charged that the Vatican had interfered with getting film permits to shoot scenes in the city Ğ a contention the Vatican said was a publicity stunt.
The newspaper wrote that the movie was "a gigantic and smart commercial operation" filled with "stereotyped characters." It suggested moviegoers could make a game out of finding the many historical inaccuracies in the plot.
However, L'Osservatore praised Howard's "dynamic direction" and the film’s "magnificent" reconstruction of locations like St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Much of the movie was shot on sets that painstakingly recreated church landmarks.
Harmless entertainment
The film offers "more than two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity," the L'Osservatore reviewer wrote. It's "a videogame that first of all sparks curiosity and is also, maybe, a bit of fun."
"Angels & Demons" features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon of "The Da Vinci Code" fame, again played by Tom Hanks. In the new film, the Vatican turns to Langdon after an ancient secret brotherhood called the Illuminati kidnaps four cardinals considered front-runners to be the next pope, and threatens to kill one an hour and then explode a bomb at the Vatican.
On Sunday, Howard said the Vatican had interfered with his efforts to get permits to shoot some of the scenes. A Vatican spokesman said the statement was designed purely to drum up publicity for the film.
"Angels & Demons" had its world premiere Monday in Rome, after director Ron Howard charged that the Vatican had interfered with getting film permits to shoot scenes in the city Ğ a contention the Vatican said was a publicity stunt.
The newspaper wrote that the movie was "a gigantic and smart commercial operation" filled with "stereotyped characters." It suggested moviegoers could make a game out of finding the many historical inaccuracies in the plot.
However, L'Osservatore praised Howard's "dynamic direction" and the film’s "magnificent" reconstruction of locations like St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Much of the movie was shot on sets that painstakingly recreated church landmarks.
Harmless entertainment
The film offers "more than two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity," the L'Osservatore reviewer wrote. It's "a videogame that first of all sparks curiosity and is also, maybe, a bit of fun."
"Angels & Demons" features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon of "The Da Vinci Code" fame, again played by Tom Hanks. In the new film, the Vatican turns to Langdon after an ancient secret brotherhood called the Illuminati kidnaps four cardinals considered front-runners to be the next pope, and threatens to kill one an hour and then explode a bomb at the Vatican.
On Sunday, Howard said the Vatican had interfered with his efforts to get permits to shoot some of the scenes. A Vatican spokesman said the statement was designed purely to drum up publicity for the film.