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by Jonathan McKee Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material. Directed by Ron Howard (The DaVinci Code, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, Parenthood, Splash, Cocoon… ) Starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard Jonathan's Rating: Rental Angels and Demons features Tom Hanks once again as the Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (the same character we saw in The Da Vinci Code). In this movie, the Vatican asks for Langdon's help after four cardinals are kidnapped by a secret brotherhood called the Illuminati, threatening to kill one an hour, sending Langdon on a wild goose... er... cardinal chase around Rome. The film actually wasn't as boring as The Da Vinci Code. The action was decent and the performances were top notch. (Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard... how could you go wrong?) Unfortunately, the story was juvenile and predictable. It was a wanna-be National Treasure, with a religious twist. I brought my friend Eric to the screening with me and he probably got tired of me leaning over and telling him what would happen in the next scene. Yeah... the film was that predictable. Its big surprises were no surprises at all. This film won't be as offensive to Christians, or more specifically, the Catholic Church as its predecessor (some of you might remember my interview with Josh McDowell about The Da Vinci Code). Yes, Angels and Demons reeked of conspiracy theory, but the screenwriters seemed to seek out some sort of "political correctness" this time around with a message that "faith" and "science" can coincide. Even though the film began with anti-religious tones, the church seemed to redeem itself near the end. One of the cardinals concluded, "Religion is flawed only because man is flawed." Nothing wrong with that statement. The Vatican doesn't seem to find this film a threat. A Vatican editorial referred to it as commercial and inaccurate, but "harmless." I chuckled at this statement from that same AP article:
Don't rush to the theatre for this one, but come DVD release, it's probably worth a rent if nothing else is available. SHOULD KIDS SEE IT? Not young kids. The film has several very morbid and violent moments, including a man being burned alive. Although our teenage generation would sadly probably just shrug their shoulders and say, “So what. I’ve seen worse.” 
Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous
youth ministry books including the brand new Connect: Real Relationships
in a World of Isolation, and the award winning books Do They
Run When They See You Coming? and Getting Students to
Show Up. He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and
events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website,
TheSource4YM.com.
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