among angels there are demons

when we exited the cinema it became obvious there were two camps. one liked Angels & Demons, but thought The Da Vinci Code was better. the other favoured this latest film adapted from a Dan Brown bestseller.

to further mess up the delineations, there are then those who've read the books, bringing to the table the debate of book-versus-film. so there are those who liked both books over both films, those who liked the first book over the first film but not so for the second book, those who read the first book but didnt catch that film and caught the second film but didnt read the book, and blah blah blah blah blah.

anyway my point is... let's get back to both the stories, as films. because ive never read the books.

i find The Da Vinci Code better. but jaime said she liked Angels & Demons more. this can go on forever. but it set me thinking on why people differ on such taste, with this scenario in mind. i tried to understand with her, and im thinking i have the answers.

the latest film works better as a thriller, offers more in terms of cinematic experience, is smoother in its development and structure. and of course, it's not that controversial! i guess i prefer The Da Vinci Code due to its content, history, and nature. i must admit its narrative structure was very evidently adapted from a book. there is probably more talking but i like it that way. therefore, Angels & Demons didnt set me off thinking as much. but i must still give it to Dan Brown for putting together something so elaborate, with clear in-depth prior research. and maybe give it to Robert Langdon for being oh-so-super-smart all the time.

the premise here is the Vatican, papacy and once again another secret society, called the Illuminati. unlike the Priory of Sion in The Da Vinci Code, the fictional presentation of the Illuminati is largely different from the real organisation. here the 400-year-old movement was allegedly founded by Galileo, as an enlightened reaction to persecution by the Catholic Church, another conflict between science and religion. the four cardinals most likely to succeed the dead Pope are kidnapped and to be executed one by one at the four altars, a secret of the underground society, around Vatican City that form the Path to Illumination. it is believed to be a revenge plot for the Catholic Church's purge of the Illuminati many years ago and to end the Church.