Released: 2009
Rated: PG-13
Recommendation: Yes, for a twist on a faith to create a wonderful mystery in symbols, gets you thinking.
Synopsis:
Following the murder of a physicist, Father Silvano Bentivoglio, a symbolist, Robert Langdon, and a scientist, Vittoria Vetra, are on an adventure involving a secret brotherhood, the Illuminati. Clues lead them all around the Vatican, including the four altars of science, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. An assassin, working for the Illuminati, has captured four cardinals, and murders each, painfully. Robert and Vittoria also are searching for a new very destructive weapon that could kill millions.
My Thoughts and Summary:
Robert Langdon is back, called to help for his expertise in symbols and the Catholic history. Robert has asked access a few times to the Catholic special library, to finish his books, but denied. Now the Catholic Church asks his help, with a secret group, the Illuminati, who seem to have a mission in mind with the help of a scientific project that has made a huge break through that could help them in this thinking.
I'm not going to compare this one to the first one. They are different cases, just with the same main investigator. No, Robert is not an investigator, but I like the feel of a case and solving. He is investigating a case, just solving it with secreted symbols and clues.
I am not a big person of religion, actually it kind of turns me off of a movie or book. Unless it's done in a way I don't feel like I'm being preached to, and these movies feel that way to me. The Catholic order has a long history, and the connections in it are there to make it one to dig around and make thoughts pop out in any direction. I like that. A twisted way of thinking, and gets me thinking right with it. No, I did not come away feeling as the Catholic order had been wronged.
The scenery was lovely. I felt like I got a view of statues and sites I will probably never get to visit, which was lovely. And a view on history, though twisted to an angle. I like it.
There was a very good bit of action to this as well. Robert is figuring out the clues just a tad bit late in the time frame given, so we on on the chase most of the book. And the action is always going as well. Kept me wondering if he was going to get ahead of the "player" or not. Very well done.
My husband even watched this one with me, and that is a major feat as if had religion in it - he's worse than me on the "turned away from religion" themes. But he enjoyed it and the angle of the mystery as well.
We both enjoyed this one very much.
I really should read these books. I have The Lost Symbol at home, and do one day want to read it.
