I just finished seeing this one the other day; I thought it was more clever than other films which are similar. It is a comedy romance film with a fantasy element to it. It was put together well by writer/director David Koepp who has a fairly creative mind. He directed the film Secret Window (2004) with Johnny Depp. Perhaps he is better known as a writer, his resume includes: Angels & Demons (2009), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Spider-Man (2002), and Jurassic Park (1993) among others. He also had written the screenplay for Ghost Town along with John Kamps.
The main cast of the film is pretty small, but it focuses on the afterlife among the living. It sets up some of the comedy, but the film is filled with a few dramatic moments as well. Greg Kinnear stars as Frank Herlihy a man who is bitter about what he did while he was still alive, and in particular his relationship with his former wife Gwen played by Téa Leoni . He returns to haunt dentist Bertram Pincus D.D.S. played by British actor Ricky Gervais since he has the ability to see ghosts from something that happens to him. His character is very bitter and doesn’t care for people in general. I never really cared for him as an actor, however in this role he seemed to fit pretty well.
There are a few others that appear in this such as Aasif Mandvi as Dr. Prashar, Bridget Moloney as the Receptionist, Bill Campbell as Richard, Dana Ivey as Marjorie Pickthall, Jeff Hiller as the Naked Guy, Betty Gilpin as the WWII Nurse, Kristen Wiig as the Surgeon, and Claire Lautier as the Upper East Side Lady.
The tagline that was used was “He sees dead people… and they annoy him”
I think overall you will find this to be worthwhile to see, it took a little bit to get into the story, and to see where they were going with the characters. But, once the film established that, it seemed to come together by the ending which was quite interesting.
In comparison to the first film, I thought it was stretched out a bit much, the story is themed with religious overtones and tries to capture a story out of bishops dying from misbelieves from perspectives. It seems to try and blend scientific technology with religion and meeting somewhere in the middle. The conclusion was rather interesting, but was somewhat predictable. There is no doubt that Ron Howard is a talented director, I enjoy his films and Tom Hanks whom he has worked with a few times before. He does a fine job stepping into the character Robert Langdon once again. This film is of course the sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006). David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman both wrote the screenplay. It was based upon the novel by Dan Brown.
After having seen both films, I thought the first one was better and slightly more entertaining overall. I know there is a lot of story to chew through with a type of film like this however, most of your theatre going audience likes things condensed and the shorter version will fare better overall. I’m not sure if it was the studio or the final say of the creative team responsible, but this would have been a far better film with a shorter runtime.
There are some interesting uses of statues in this and many religious backdrops which include churches, cobblestone and parts of Italy specifically Rome.
The story follows Robert Langdon who is called on despite his relationship with the church to help with the crisis going on within Vatican City. It has its own form of government outside of the country itself and how things are dealt with. The character Robert Langdon is a specialist specifically dealing with symbols (A symbologist).
You will also see Ewan McGregor in this as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra, Stellan Skarsgård as Commander Richter, Pierfrancesco Favino as Inspector Olivetti, Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the Assassin, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss, Thure Lindhardt as Chartrand, David Pasquesi as Claudio Vincenzi, Cosimo Fusco as Father Simeon, Victor Alfieri as Lieutenant Valenti, Franklin Amobi as Cardinal Lamasse, Curt Lowens as Cardinal Ebner, Bob Yerkes as Cardinal Guidera, and Marc Fiorini as Cardinal Baggia.
I believe my wife enjoyed this film more than I did; this has some creative puzzle-like clues to solve as the story progresses. I think for those people that like such things this film will appeal far more to them. It has a sense of mystery about it which does translate well. The actors did a nice job and I liked the use of lighting in this film. It surely captured the mood and feel. If you enjoyed films like National Treasure (2004) starring Nicholas Cage, then this will probably appeal to you as well.
Some movies you remember for their creativity, and this one was this type of a movie. Imagine a world without power? We are all so dependent on having it, that when we lose it, all hell can break loose. The tagline for this one was: “When Nothing Works, Anything Goes” I thought this one was good enough to rent or find for cheap to buy. It makes you think about how things can change dramatically for your family and friends, in an over the top situation directed by David Koepp. This was written by James Burke and David Koepp also co-wrote the screenplay.
The cast includes an underrated array of characters played by Kyle MacLachlan as Matthew, Elisabeth Shue as Annie Kay and Dermot Mulroney as Joe. They are all close friends and decide to stick together to overcome the extreme environment which they now have to deal with. They have no choice in the matter and their lives are in constant threat. Each day for them is another victory in this strangely entertaining tale.
I think some critics didn’t like this film, and thought there was something missing. Perhaps it was the choice of actors and the director’s vision. Who knows? I still think it was worthy of a watch regardless of what others thought. More often than not the so-called critics compare any older release to something fresh out in the theatres. The choices for watchable movies seem to dwindle each year. I’ve been disappointed recently in some of the upcoming releases.
There are more first name only appearances in this feature which include: Rick Worthy as Johnny, Richard T. Jones as Raymond, Bill Smitrovich, Steph, Michael Rooker as Gary, Tori Kristiansen as Sarah, and Tyra Kristiansen as Sarah. (Yes the younger girl Sarah was played by a set of twins on set) This was the girl’s only appearance known on screen.
Overall, I think you will find this one to be entertaining enough to check out. The actors seemed to make the most out of what they had to work with. It would be considered a B list or even C list movie to some. But, I thought it was worthwhile for sure. Check this one out if you want to see something with a different kind of premise.
