Robert Langdon returns to save the world from a sinister airborne pathogen in this continuation of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code franchise. Oddly, despite three jumbo-sized films and a whole mess of fluffy promotion, the series has yet to settle on a definitive identity for itself. Where I felt there was a whiff of something worth pursuing in the first film - a middle-aged professor, cracking dusty cryptographs against the backdrop of ancient history - subsequent films have steadily minimized that in favor of beefier, more generic reaches.
In Inferno's case, Langdon has been plopped into the aftermath of a personality cult and blessed with a case of amnesia. It feels like a mismatch from the start, like Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock taking the spotlight in the latest Bourne adventure, and never settles into much of a rhythm. The constant wheel-jerks and "shock and awe" plot twists of the earlier chapters haven't gone anywhere, of course, and they're still far too numerous for their own good. Such drastic shifts lose all meaning if they occur at five-minute intervals. Costars Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones have a certain entrancing dynamic, a central relationship which is robbed of its defining moment by the abundance of such plot acrobatics.
The shame of it is, Inferno actually has a few clever ideas. Tragically, they're almost completely washed away by hopeless over-complication and desperate mood swings.
Review by ds1BlockedParentSpoilers2018-11-17T15:15:51Z
Finally I came around watching this movie. I have the book on my bookshelf for quite some time now but never took the time actually reading it. After not even being able to finish this atrocious movie I am even more hesitant about taking that time.
Dan Brown books have a rather predictable and obvious story progression but I like them anyway.
This relatively particular high suspense chase from tourist attraction to tourist attraction, some shocking twist at some time and the happy end. Nothing extraordinary creative but usually with an intriguing set and interesting facts here and there about history, symbology, etc. Perhaps not entirely correct all the time but still.
In the movies this has been - until this movie - pretty suspenseful with a great Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.
But the start of this movie just feels stressful with this amnesia thing. Shaky, flickering hallucinations are a thing that annoy me incredibly much. It just does and at the start of this movie I was already very quickly annoyed. Add in the chase part of this kind of story and you get a very stressful start of the movie. I don't know about you, but I do not watch movies to get stressed.
Add in cardboard sidecharacters and a terrible, terrible twist with Dr. Brooks that you will not care about because that character is just a hollow shell without any distinctive motive like any of the other characters. Everyone in this is only a backdrop for Hanks to play his worst Langdon yet.
This movie is stripped away from all the things that make it worthwhile, that make Dan Brown stories intriguing. Left is only the formulaic composition of the same story we already had in Angels & Demons.
Cook and fry some noodles with vegetables, put some meat on it if you want, some tangy sauce and you get a simple but yummy meal. Cook noodles and put them on a plate and you get this movie. Tasteless, boring noodles.
If you're into that (by choice), you'll like this movie.