How much work can you get done in five hours? That's the crucial question in "Angels & Demons," the sequel to the 2006 global megahit "The Da Vinci Code."
Adapted from the novel by the same author — Dan Brown — featuring the same character — symbology professor Robert Langdon — played by the same actor — Tom Hanks — and directed by the same Ron Howard, "Angels" comes off more like a progress report by an efficiency expert than the second installment of a religious/historical murder mystery. "Da Vinci" was leisurely paced comparatively, with the scenery changing from Paris to the English countryside to London, and the events spaced out over the course of a few days. This time, everyone acts like they're in a mad rush to catch a flight out during Thanksgiving weekend with irritated, teeth-clenching expressions to match. In "Da Vinci," there were at least some minutes for a sit-down tea and biscuits, but in "Angels," no one gets so much as a sip of Crystal Geyser.
But then, you suspect from just looking at the promotional shots of Howard and Hanks, his favorite actor, that this is a team of schedule-obsessed workaholics who prefer to chop-chop through the work at full speed, churn out the results, wrap things up and go on to the next project.
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