Angels & DemonsMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This kind of film requires us to be very forgiving, and if we are, it promises to entertain. Angels & Demons succeeds. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Plucking the same violent, occult strings as "Da Vinci" while avoiding its leadenness, Angels keeps the action coming for the best part of 139 minutes. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The new movie is an opulent-bordering-on-hysterical mass of chitchat and chase scenes. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The movie can be enjoyed for the hell-raising hooey it is. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Less turgid and aggravating than its predecessor, this cleverly produced melodrama remains hamstrung by novelist's Dan Brown's laborious connect-the-dots plotting and the filmmakers' prosaic literal-mindedness in the face of ripe historical antagonisms, mystery and intrigue. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Preposterous. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    This movie, without being particularly good, is nonetheless far less hysterical than "Da Vinci." Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    Ultimately everything wilts under the weight of the complicated story lines of its many saints and sinners. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Angels doesn't know when to quit: Just when you think it's over, it continues. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post |

    What the movie is supposed to accomplish -- laying out a fairly complex mystery in a way that creates suspense -- is precisely what it doesn't do. Read full review

View more reviews for Angels & Demons on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Talky, violent conspiracy thriller will bore kids and teens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this adaptation of Dan Brown's pre-Da Vinci Code novel about ancient religious conspiracy theories and a secret society has more deaths than the first movie. The action starts with a gruesome murder and theft, and the violence continues throughout, as cardinals are taken hostage and killed in public, shocking ways. Plus, it's implied that prominent priests and the Vatican's Swiss Guard conspire to commit murder and cover up scandals. Language is generally mild, and there's no sex to speak of; some characters smoke.
  • Families can talk about the film's premise. The first movie's central conspiracy theory upset Christians across the globe, but this one has been deemed inaccurate but "harmless" by the Catholic Church. Why the change of perspective?
  • In general, does controversy help promote a movie?
  • Discuss how the violence in this movie compares to the first one. Does it have more or less impact? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Messages are mixed. In general, the film is packed with conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and manipulation.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Role models are mixed. The main characters act heroically and risk their lives for the Catholic Church, even though they're not members. But another character hires a contract killer to torture and murder men of faith just to further his own agenda.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: As in the previous film, the movie has a great deal of violence -- and it actually has more deaths than the first movie. Cardinals are literally branded, and three are killed gruesomely. A character is shot, and his eyeball is torn out; characters are routinely shot or stabbed to death. One lights himself on fire, while another is burned a la Joan of Arc.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false2 Language: Mostly mild; words include "hell," "damn," "goddamn it," "go to hell," etc.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Prominently featured vehicles include a fancy SUV and Mercedes Benzes.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some of the cardinals are shown smoking cigarettes, as is a member of the Swiss Guard.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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