Impression of Happy-Go-Lucky

Road to reality,
row, drive, walk, cycle or just
Happy-Go-Lucky

Angels and Demons vs. The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code, the novel, may have been more popular than Angels and Demons written before it (simple statistic: numbers of reviews on amazon.com as at 2 June 2009 read 3,900 vs 2,308). The general consensus for the two adapted films, however, show over-whelming preference for the latter. Reasons given: tighter pacing, action sequences were more exciting, better hair-do, less irritable accents.

I generally agree with the consensus. In addition, I prefer the film version of Angels and Demons over that of The Da Vinci Code because a key part in the book was omitted in the film: they were suppose to have decode one additional cryptex before getting to the secret. It is a crucial plot point in the book that there should be a pair of cryptexes, which has to be left out due to length constraint.

So, it was a relief for me that there remain four elements in Angels and Demons, the film.

Beside my little squabble with the earlier film, Angels and Demons is indeed the more involving of the two. Exhibit 2: the scores.

Both films were scored by Hans Zimmer and an unusual decision was made: some of the score in The Da Vinci Code was re-arranged and used lavishly in Angels and Demons. Indeed, the climatic endings share essentially the same scores, performed and arranged differently, as one can listen for oneself in th links provided below. Yet I walk out of the cinema remembering the music in Angels and Demons but not the case for The Da Vinci Code.