This weekend was considerably quieter at the box office. Angels & Demons opened with only $48,000,000 but managed to unseat Star Trek as the number one film. Since I won't be seeing the movie until I finish the book, read what the top critics have to say on rottentomatoes.com.
So why am I determined to finish the novel that precedes The Da Vinci Code before watching the movie version, which is written as a sequel? Simply put, I don't think I'll be able to follow the story without having read the cliff notes (i.e. the book) beforehand. I've never been a huge fan of Dan Brown— The Da Vinci Code was over-hyped as a book and rushed as a movie— but the elaborate conspiracy theories that define his novels are too intriguing to ignore. If you have any doubts about its widespread popularity, look no farther than the themed-tours market that first erupted in 2006 and now draws Angels & Demons fans today.
While travel is a great option, those who are on a tighter budget might appreciate the illustrated
versions of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. These special editions include all of the original text along with city and site maps, artistic renderings and photographs of artifacts described in the story. In short, these books are the "Holy Grail" for devoted fans (yes, horrible pun, I know).Apparently the illustrated versions have been out for a few years, but I just moseyed across them during a recent trip to the bookstore. Had I been more observant three years earlier, I could have bought them as a birthday gift for my mother, who is starting to find signs of Opus Dei and Illuminati at the grocery store and post office. Perhaps then I could have spared myself from her many questions: "Is there any obelisk in Saint Peter's Square? Have you seen 'The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa'? What does 'novus ordo seclorum' mean?"
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I remember reading Angels and Demons in Mr. Kesterson's class. It was like the last assignment of the year, and I had to answer 15 questions on it or something. I think it was very captivating when it started out, and the symbols in the book looked kinda cool cuz the words could be read upside down and rightside up. I think I got a little confused about all the places they went to, and on the last hundred pages, I just skipped to the end to read the confrontation with the bad guy. But then, I was never a big art or architecture person, as you know. I think The Divinci Code is a better book, but it seems like this Angels & Demons is the better movie. Lemme know how it turns out :)!
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