See it at the Movies

Inferno

Posted

INFERNO

* * ½

(Confusing plot line)

We remember reading Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code and being confused by the plot line.

We looked forward to the movie, figuring that it would be reduced to something we could understand and follow. We were still lost at times, as we were with his follow-up Angels and Demons. Now we don't claim to be Rhodes Scholars, but I had hoped to be able to follow the story the third time around.

The two-hour movie opens with Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) lying in a hospital bed in Florence, Italy with a head wound, loss of memory and frightful nightmares. As assassins approach, his doctor (Felicity Jones) helps him escape, beginning the long chase over his apparent possession of a vial that has a substance capable of wiping out half of the world population.

There are many flashbacks as Dr. Langdon tries to piece together the events leading up to his head trauma, with Dr. Brooks right there by his side. There are the endless clues, all revolving around Dante's Inferno, leading them through Florence, Venice and Istanbul.

The scenery is great, as Langdon moves from one church to another, ending up in a museum where a valuable stone mask has been stolen. Trying to connect all the dots is as difficult for the viewer as it is for our hero, as the major plot twist causes him quite a shock.

A variety of characters are either chasing him or professing to help him. Who can he trust?

A sudden plot twist shows that he trusted the wrong one, all leading to the big showdown, which adds more confusion to the plot. If you can make sense out of all of this, our congratulations to you.

Hanks is good, and he is surrounded by some interesting characters. The big winner is the scenery.

Rated PG-13, with some profanity and lots of violence.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here