Angels and Demons trailer goes online...

I've written before about the tragedy of a mediocre or bad film spawning a superior sequel, only for said sequel to under perform because no one was willing to be fooled twice (Tomb Raider: Cradle Of Life, Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian). So while The Da Vinci Code was a huge international smash, almost no one particularly liked it. This of course killed the chance for 'So dark the con of man' becoming some kind of adjective catchphrase ('Dude... that car is SO con the dark of man!'). So, while everyone says Angels And Demons is a far superior book to The Da Vinci Code (D&A actually came first, but the film is placing it afterward), the prequel turned sequel to The Da Vinci Code is the surefire candidate for surprise 'flop' of the summer (it's even opening in the same slot as Prince Caspian). By that I mean if it only does $125 million domestic, it'll be viewed as a 'shocking flop' and the series will die forever, regardless of how profitable it ends up being (I can't imagine it cost more than $100 million total).

Ironically, this trailer (click on the link for a nicer copy) makes the film look far more exciting and entertaining than the boring-as-unbuttered toast original ('So dark the con of... zzzzzzz'). For one thing, it doesn't seem to be taking itself quite as seriously. I do enjoy how the trailer is basically just Hanks' Robert Landgon explaining to everyone all of the details of the plot. Meanwhile, female lead Ayelet Zurer is allowed merely to look pretty and be impressed with Robert Landgon's expertise (I'll assume she is allowed to speak in the actual film). Stellan Skarsgard and Ewan McGregor seem to be having more fun, with just a touch of camp, so that's a plus. And most importantly, Tom Hanks has ditched that classically bad haircut of part 01 for the more traditional buzz cut.

Scott Mendelson