If you’re a fan of the Author of Inferno Dan Brown, Superstar Actor Tom Hanks or a fan of Director Ron Howard, Inferno has something for everyone. But that doesn’t mean the movie is as good as it could have been. Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away) reprises his role as Robert Langdon where he is once again called upon to help solve a mystery that could kill hundreds and thousands of people around the world. And naturally only a Professor of Symbology can save the day. Add the token female counterpart Dr. Sienna Brooke played by Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One A Star Wars Story) to help him solve the mystery with the usual problems of the bad guys chasing him on his quest. Add a love story for good measure and we seem to have a repeat of the last two films, Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.
Inferno is the third film in the Robert Langdon series by Author Dan Brown. And what Director Ron Howard (In The Heart Of The Sea, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) has done with this film, sets it apart from the previous adventures. Inferno takes on a darker story with less attention to the art and history and ancient codes and mythology. For anyone who has read the book and watched the film will notice a vast amount of differences in the screen adaptation, particularly the ending. Director Ron Howard made some drastic changes to make it visually more appealing. Such a change completely took away from the interesting story of how it all ends.It seems the Hollywood way of things is a happy ending and sadly that is what the film provides. Also noticeable is the lack of history, symbols and art, which has come to be expected from Robert Langdon. Any mention of history and interesting fact of the place they are about to visit or what they are looking at seems forced and out of place.
Hanks fell back into his character easily once more. He has an ability to add these subtle gestures and movements that help you stop admiring a superstar on screen and notice the character he is playing. One thing about the portrayal of Robert Langdon is surly he must be thinking by now he is only just a Professor of Iconology and Symbology. How can he possibly be called upon this many times to help save the day? Felicity Jones plays beside Tom Hanks in her natural British accent. Jones is one of those Actresses you are surprised isn’t in more block buster movies, as she absolutely immerses herself into her characters and takes you on a journey with her all of the way. It was hard to decipher if it was her acting ability in this film that was flat, or if she was directed to play that particular way. There was little chemistry between herself and Hanks on screen. This could be down to the fact that she may not have been entirely honest with him along the way. But it would be more believable to think that there was just no chemistry between them.
Director Ron Howard has once again created the Robert Langdon world to captivate and entertain. Inferno takes on a rather darker side than the previous film Angels and Demons where Langdon seems to just have a nice tour around the Vatican. However the fast pace and on the edge moments of the previous films wasn’t evident in this film.
Overall Inferno was a great film you can sit back and enjoy. It has something for everyone, loaded with all the information and knowledge Author Dan Brown can squeeze in. And that is all it is. Should you be one of the few who reads Dan Brown anymore, you will notice a great deal of differences between the two. And in this case, it seems the book may have won. While there is still another novel by Dan Brown to adapt and a new one due in 2017, it will be interesting to see if they will make it to the big screen with such a lacklustre reception.
