Is 'Angels & Demons' As Good As the Book?

Angels & Demons may be gearing up for a big weekend at box offices, but that doesn't mean it's cracked the code. This "hunk of hokum" adapted from Dan Brown's 9-year-old book stars, once again, Tom Hanks as "symbolist" Robert Langdon—but this time he's trying to save the Vatican's "Illuminati" from a massive ball of light. But the dialogue is hopelessly literal as the audience is talked through every step of the drama. "Every revelation in ‘Angels & Demons’ has a 'Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick' vibe," writes a reviewer at Salon, explaining that Director Ron Howard must be hoping that "if every narrative detail is repeated for the hard of hearing, the plot will actually end up making sense."