Is the sequel worth the price of admission? via arthur1227 @ flickr
I don’t usually indulge in summer movies, but I’ve splurged on a trip to see Angels & Demons twice in the past two weeks. Okay, so I’ll confess that
There are no spoilers in this post, for anyone who might want to see the movie. Zurer’s character, Vittoria Vetra, is a brilliant scientist who is an expert in combustibles, and is called in to help find a stolen canister of antimatter that may be used to blow up the Vatican. (Suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite for watching this film.) She tags along with the protagonist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) for a good chunk of the movie, and there’s actually some appealing characterization of Vittoria. Nonetheless, she is also running around in a sleekly tailored black suit and heeled boots through the cobblestones of Rome. So, do the pros cancel out the cons? I weigh the evidence after the jump.
Pro: She’s a brilliant scientist who never has to defer to a man professionally.
Con: The aforementioned heels over cobblestones.
Pro: She not only assists Langdon with scientific knowledge but with some religious and translation knowledge. (Improbable? Uh, yeah. But the whole movie is.)
Con: She’s conventionally beautiful. This is not to say that I blame Zurer for taking the role, but it’s like the filmmakers thought the audience wouldn’t truly engage in the character if she was played by someone who doesn’t fit into the narrow box of what’s considered beautiful.
Pro: She’s a much more lively character than anyone in the film.
Con: Her actions in moving the plot forward almost completely fall by the wayside in the last third of the film and even doesn’t participate in what would be considered her most important moment with the bomb.
The most interesting element in all this — at least to me — is the lack of romantic or sexual interest between Vittoria and Robert. For those who have not seen The DaVinci Code, it’s worth noting that this is not new. In the first movie, Hanks’ character is paired with that of Audrey Tautou’s, but not in a romantic way. It was incredibly refreshing, as well as unusual for such a big-budget blockbuster to have an absence of romance when two random people are thrown together. Given that both Zurer and Tautou are beautiful (and 15 and 20 years younger, respectively, than Hanks), it is even more notable that the films never take pains to present them as objects for the male lead to be attracted to.
If Professor Langdon has a personal life, it is never mentioned in either film. Again, I have not read the book, but if there were any personal details in Dan Brown’s book then director Ron Howard clearly did not see fit to include it in the movie, or to adjust the plot so Langdon could have a fling with the female characters. The movies are, above all, action films. The only character in Angels & Demons whose personal life seems to play any part in the plot is actually McGregor’s character, and even that does not have a romantic or sexual component.
I suppose the reason for this post was how remarkable I found it that such a huge Hollywood movie just chose not to concern itself with the familiar romantic/sexual elements that are often used to try and lure audiences. I’m thinking here of other movies in the genre, such as the Indiana Jones movies, where the hero always gets the girl. And while I viewed Angels & Demons as good popcorn entertainment and nothing more, I also give credit to the filmmakers for not following the by-the-numbers romantic interludes of other action films. Now, let’s try to make sure that if there is a sequel, Vittoria wears sensible shoes for a mad dash through Rome.
I haven’t seen either film, and only skim read the books on holiday a couple of years ago, but I think that Langdon does have romantic relationships with the women in the novels. Its one of the few things I remember (I’m crap at remember plotlines from anyting) because I HATED the romantic elements so much. I’m glad to ear they didn’t make it into the films!
Wow, afteriris, this may be the first time a Hollywood adaptation has actually removed a romantic love interest from the plot. SOALG you are making me want to go see this movie. It is incredibly rare to see female characters who aren’t defined by their sexual partners. Way to go, Ron Howard.
@afteriris: That would be really impressive. Ron Howard is far from my favorite director, but I give him and the screenwriters credit for not including it or not manufacturing it.
@J.D.: The movie is bunk but it’s really fun bunk. Armin Mueller-Stahl is particularly good, and I thought Zurer had fun with her role. I give it a B+, better than your average summer blockbuster, and recommend that it be seen with a hearty chunk of suspension of disbelief.
These movies always require suspension of disbelief–but they are a fun way to get out of the heat of summer, and a good excuse for eating buttered popcorn.
Yes, Langdon has romantic relationships with both ladies in the books, but it’s sort of after-the-fact. There’s romantic tension present, but before they can get to that, they have to save the world…or the Vatican…or the Louvre. Hard to stop for sexy scenes when you’re running out of time!
@LadySoprano: Yeah, the movie never slows down even though it’s fairly long. There’s always another chase, another explosion, etc. It does make it tough to involve romance. Interestingly, The DaVinci Code film had more quiet moments that could have allowed for the characters to bond romantically, but there was zero chemistry between Hanks and Tautou.
i laughed my ass off through ‘angels and demons’. oh, but ewan was soooo worth it. talk about a father whatawaste. he wears the collar very well.
Angels & Demons, nmy second favorite movie of the year. Glad to know not all of us are caught up with thoe big budget summer flicks.
I’m with you on Ayelet Zurer, I became captivated by her in this movie. Found one of her previous movies, Nina’s Tragedies, she is awesome.
Langdon hooks up with both of the ladies in the books, but I thought it had the feeling of just doing what was expected. Also, in the second book – The DaVinci Code – I don’t remember there being any explanation of where the first lady was. It was just BOOM! new interchangeable girlie.
Dan Brown wrote another book about code breaking, and I remember (vaguely) it having a very strong female lead.
I must speak openly, and express that the film was a BORE… did not like that ZORRER actress at all, I don’t understand why they did not have an Italian Actress, with a sexy Italian accent, this woman was trying so hard to prounounce everything correctly, that is missed the whole thing. Italy is filled with amazing actors,and far prettier then this ZORRRR whatever…
@Allen: The point of the post was not about Zurer’s acting skills (it’s not hard to spell her name correctly, BTW), but about the lack of romance between her and the male protagonist. And why should the filmmakers be compelled to find someone whose accent is “sexy”? The fact that you threw that in as an adjective to describe how her speech should sound is curious.
FWIW I would totally run through Rome in heels. But I’m crazypants like that.
I thought the movie was fun, but I need to re-read the book. I remember way more attention given to the ambigrams, which I found really interesting.
Yay for Ayelet Zorer! I would also recommend watching Nina’s Tragedies–it is one of my favorite movies and stars her. She’s in so many good Israeli movies!
And actually, I have no idea why the official English spelling of her name would be “Zurer,” because it’s pronounced Zorer. I don’t think it matters how you spell it, since it’s originally written in Hebrew letters. This is coming from the person named “My” who spells her name “May.” Hebrew’s a bitch.