I just came back from watching this movie & I must say I’m rather proud of it.I haven’t read the book, but I have read two of Dan Brown’s works-’The Da Vinci Code’ & ’Digital Fortress’.I was pretty much disappointed with the film version of ’The Da Vinci Code’, but ’Angels & Demons’ came out surprisingly well.It’s easy to think that since I hadn’t read the book, the climax seemed appealing to me.But it’s more of a gut reaction, if I had watched the first movie without even reading the book, I would’ve still not liked the movie.I can safely say that even if I did read ’Angels & Demons’ & knew the heart of it’s content, I would still love this film.This prequel to ’The Da Vinci Code’ begins with the Pope’s death.The whole of Vatican City & the Christian community all over the world is grieving.At this stage, the other heads have to concern themselves with the voting of a new successor.The Camerlengo, Patrick(Ewan McGregor) is devastated as the Pope had adopted him as a young boy & is more of a father figure to him.But trouble is brewing in Vatican City.Four well loved Cardinals are kidnapped & a threatening computer message is given to the Church.The only information they have is a symbol.Professor Robert Langdon(Tom Hanks) is called in to assist the Swiss Guards in the task.He soon informs them that this is the work of ’Illuminati’, who are seeking revenge for previous mistakes committed by the Church to their group.Dr. Vittoria Vetra(Ayelet Zurer) with the help of Father Silvano & her scientist colleagues capture ’anti-matter’.To her horror, the Father gets murdered & the precious ’anti-matter’ is being used by the ’Illuminati’ to blow up the entire Vatican City.Luckily for the Swiss gurads, Robert & Vittoria;Patrick is open minded to the whole situation & is infact warned by Cardinal Strauss(Armin Mueller-Stahl) not to take his position as second to the Pope seriously.Nevertheless, Patrick is concerned about preserving the Church’s teachings & helps as much as he can to prevent his beautiful city from getting ruined.He even encourages the College of Cardinals to come out with the truth to the media about the city being under attack.Meanwhile, Robert & Vittoria are mad on the trail along with the Swiss guards to prevent murders from taking place.The team gets frustrated when they discover that the killer commits his crimes just minutes before they reach every destination.With time ticking away, there’s very less anyone can do except to wait & watch.Unlike it’s predecessor, this movie is fast paced & keeps your mind working.Tom Hanks has reached a stage where no one even needs to talk about his acting skills anymore.Ayelet fits the part of an intelligent woman who’s pretty chic in her style.The actors who play the Swiss guard officers have put in their 100% into the roles.But the one who stands out the most is Ewan McGregor for his chillingly smart demeanour as the Camerlengo.I’ve usually seen Ewan do ’lover-boy’ type roles, but this is new & he’s easily stolen the show with his powerful acting.The camerawork deserves accolades too, since the whole ’cold’ atmosphere is mixed with eerie dramtisations of science & religion.I felt chills in my spine with both the Church & Laboratory scenes.The director, Ron Howard & producers have made their sponsors happy through their sleek brainwork.Tell me how many brand names you can identify while you’re too preoccupied watching the ’team’ chase through the crowded Vatican streets.Final grade- A+, this is meant to be watched with an open mind.If your someone who tends to get easily insulted or carried away by discussions of religion & modernisation, then it’s better to skip this movie & watch people running around trees.