Angels and Demons ~ Lost in Adaptation

How close did The Da Vinci Code's less successful little brother stick to the book it's based on?
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0:00 Intro
2:43 Book Review
3:49 Film Review
6:00 What They Didn't Change
10:33 What They Changed
16:35 What They Left Out Altogether
19:06 Final Thoughts
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Co-writer/editor: Kate Robinson: / channel
Original music by Il Neige: / djilneige

[@FerretPirate]

I saw an interview with Tom Hanks when this was released. He said that he had become the go-to when you needed someone to hit their mark, stare into the middle distance, and say "My God."

[@jaycievictory8461]

😅 I love Tom Hanks

[@eileensnow6153]

How did you-I can _see_ that!

[@wjzav1971]

I love how Tom Hanks is mostly known for stone-cold dramatic roles nowadays and yet, he started his career as a comedic actor.

[@Animalfriend777]

So, as both a Catholic and a historian, and I've never liked the Dan Brown books. Not because i find them sacrilegious or offensive, but rather because they are just so incorrect on basic facts about history and religion. I'm talking about stuff like basic dates and beliefs of individuals or organizations are incorrect. As a side note, I've actually been to the Vatican Library and Archive when i was getting my masters, and from the priests that i talked to there, they've seen the Dan Brown movies, and find them more funny than offensive. Their exact words on seeing how this movie shows the archives facilities were "We wish we had that funding and nice equipment"

[@teddyhaines6613]

I'm guessing CERN wishes they could fly to the US and back in 15 minutes with fancy space planes too.

[@coyoteartist]

I kinda find myself in a similar place with them. I tried to read The Da Vinci Code and just found it stupid. Usually I delight in a book making me look something up, but I got no joy from any search derived from that book and I don't think I even bothered to finish it actually. I never bothered with the movie at all. I do recall a somewhat accusation of sci-fing the archives. Sometimes I see or read things like that and they come off a bit rude because I wish the place in question really had the stuff.

[@onijester56]

I, as a student of Religious Studies and amateur writer, am slightly willing to give Dan Brown slack for being "incorrect on basic facts" due to two principles. 1. It's "Based on a True Story" fiction. The story, the fiction, comes before literal accuracy. "Close enough is good enough" and "That doesn't work, let's change it" are axioms of the story-writing process. 2. A buffer of reality. As you mention, actual Vatican priests find the movies "more funny than offensive". If I were to write a "Historical Fiction" story then, barring explicit groups deserving of offense (read: Nazis, the KKK, etc.), that is the exact response I would want from those I mention or include.

[@coyoteartist]

@@onijester56 I would give him slack if I'd felt like I could still build the world out of the story and understand it. However I was too often left with feeling like he just ask a blind man to describe a room without letting him exploring it.

[@pikespendragon67]

In a Renaissance humanities class in college we read Inferno. Well, I tried to. The idea's neat but the writing style's eh

[@whichhatte-persomi]

"The plot twist is Jesus Christ FUUUUUUUUCKED." -Dom, 2021 This line is gold.

[@jaclynfairhead5848]

*eyebrow quirk*

[@admech590]

Fuck the church. This fiction. I'm so sick of moral puritans from both sides dictating what we can and can't watch. Who gives a shit if it offends you? If its not the intent of the piece, then don't pigeon hold people from enjoying it.

[@davidhanson4909]

That was also a twist in the Preacher comic book-with some caveats. "Humper-Doo!"

[@dancinganimals.]

@@admech590 I understand the need to vent but your reply is irrelevant to the comment

[@eirianstarlesschild521]

-josé saramago, 1991. did it first, won a nobel prize (but not for that)

[@kopicat2429]

The woman is there for one thing, to have someone Langdon can explain stuff to. An attempt at making pure exposition somewhat natural. In the end, she's an exposition character

[@mayankbisht7691]

Not necessarily, the woman in Angles and Demons herself is an exposition dump.

[@Svengali764]

Soooo Dr who?

[@Healermain15]

@@i.b.640 Literally there so she can be mansplained at.

[@gbdeck200]

Yup

[@grkpektis]

He described her body in so much detail that I thought it was important to the plot. Maybe because she has a toned body she can be a good fighter, or she’s good at a sport that will be important later, nope. I love thicc women as much as the next guy but what’s the point

[@awesometonio1]

Italian accent, Transylvanian accent, they're the same thing, right? Actually, now that I think about it, I would absolutely watch a movie about Dracula taking on the position of Pope.

[@whateverworksmate.721]

A Romanian accent and an Italian accent are quite different, tho both are Romance languages and I can definitely understand how they may sound similar. Source: Romanian is my native language But yes, I would totally watch that movie too. It has now occured to me that you might've been joking... oh well.

[@donatodiniccolodibettobardi842]

Old school? Calling Pope a fake corrupt Pope and crowning oneself as a real deal, while waging war on the supposed impostor?

[@bl4cksp1d3r]

Italy is anti-vampire. All the crosses, all the mirrors, all the garlic, and all the sun.

[@henryglennon3864]

"My children of the night! Hear the music that they make!" [Latin chanting in the background]

[@Perzyn]

Not a movie and not the Pope, but the closest thing to that would probably be Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, which is a fantasy/alt history book about "What if Dracula won, married Queen Victoria and turned British Empire into a necrocracy ruled by vampires?"

[@MultiMal3]

And today in "Books/films that you never expected Dom to review..."

[@chaoticjusticezero]

It's actually been on his Patreon to-do list for a while. Next up is Captain Underpants, followed by Good Omens. You can find the full list on his site.

[@vanyadolly]

And meanwhile poor Hornblower is still waiting for its day in the sun... 😢

[@jimballard1186]

I mean, this book was way higher on my guess list than "Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt."

[@aliciabell6688]

@@vanyadolly that's video I would become a patreon to support.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@vanyadolly Which books and which films/TV though?

[@saraquill]

The “They had exotic sex” ending was extra weird considering what happened to Vittoria’s dad the day before.

[@collinmurr3207]

I'm fascinated by Ron Howard's constant attempts to make decent adaptations of terrible books. Someone give him some good source material, please.

[@PuffyRainbowCloud]

I mean his voice overs in Arrested Development are gold. So there’s that.

[@patrickbehrend5403]

"Rush"

[@brendanmilburn9067]

Apparently Disney wants him to adapt Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I hope it gets off the ground soon.

[@giovannialvarez9289]

Grinch wasn't a terrible book and the movie was a mixed bag depending on who you ask they ether have nostalgia for it as kids or they think it a crude and juvenile attempt to make a short children's book into a feature length film.

[@colinray4186]

@@giovannialvarez9289 I am of the camp who loved both and quote them frequently. It's a funny pseudo-adaptation but also a satire about the holiday itself (IMO).

[@SuprousOxide]

I remember constantly thinking "This is stupid" while reading it, but still couldn't put it down. Particularly found the glyphs funny as the book showed pictures of them and they were in English... And the book treated them like even creating the pattern was supposed to be impressive

[@regiman222]

If there were pictures of the glyphs in the books, how were the filmmakers unable to make the final ambigram diamond and just used the keys instead?

[@avataryellow]

@@regiman222 I was confused when The Dom said they couldn't be made since they were shown in the book.

[@kathrynolsen1256]

He hand-waved it in the book as “English is the language of heretics and scientists.”

[@yarpen26]

@@regiman222 There were only five ambigrams illustrated in the book: Illuminati, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These were all designed at Brown's request by the artist John Langdon (hence the protagonist's name). The diamond one was only described in prose, never visualized though.

[@regiman222]

@@yarpen26 oh, strange given I was able to find an illustration of the diamond ambigram with a quick Google search, so thought it came from the book.

[@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109]

Fun fact: Dan Brown's first three books all end the same way, with the main female character throwing herself at the hero so they can bang. The Da Vinci Code's the first one that ended differently. I may not be the biggest fan of The Da Vinci Code, but I'll give Brown that: he actually put the effort to improve his craft before hitting big.

[@dodgyyoutuber9560]

Did it really? I mean, the plot twist is Mary Magdalene threw herself at Jesus to bang

[@eliasbischoff176]

I admit I haven't read much of Brown's writing so far but I constantly get the feeling that he thinks himself to be a lot smarter than he is. I will give him credit for being really good at creating tension though

[@vaclav_fejt]

When right in the first scene of The Da Vinci Code the killer switches off the manual safety of his Glock 21, I knew he was full of hot air. Glock pistols don't have manual safeties. If you want to flaunt how smart and knowledgable you are, you actually need to be that. Like Oscar Wilde.

[@eliasbischoff176]

@@vaclav_fejt It's always funny if you realize the author clearly researched a lot for the main aspect of their story and then get the details not directly related to that completely wrong. I'm currently reading pillars of the earth by Ken Follett and he writes in a lot of detail about construction work in the 12th century and so on, but then there is a scene where someone easily sets a pile of wool on fire...

[@danialyousaf6456]

Creating tension but with no payoff at the end. I'm still pissed that I wasted a month on the da Vinci code only to get blue balled.

[@marinaschulz3183]

I was an avid book reader at 10 when someone gifted me "The Da Vinci Code". I remember thinking that it should be really difficult to read since it was "a grown up book". But no, the sentence structure was basically as simple as my kids novels, only the plot was really boring, lol.

[@42Caio]

Dan Brown in a nutshell.

[@Lukkilikka]

it was my first experience of 'wow this book is really over-rated' and i did not understand the hype at all (it was an okay thriller but nothing special at all)

[@thatmessy132]

I read this one when I was 10, and I was so proud of myself for being "mature", but I never thought it was clever. still have the original copy.

[@weirdofromhalo]

I too read the Da Vinci Code at around 10 and didn't remember a single thing after reading it, and I still don't remember anything even with the movie out.

[@KarmaSpaz12]

Bernard Cornwell is another author who makes seemingly dense subjects rather straightforward to consume.

[@bootsthecat6718]

I also feel like there's no real downside to redoing a story again but making it better, the second Evil Dead movie it's just them getting closer to what they wanted to do in the first one if they had the resources

[@TheHopperUK]

Yeah to be honest it's okay to do creatively, but I could see somebody who paid for the second iteration feeling a bit ripped off

[@fat1fared]

The second Evil Dead Story is not a great example because while they ‘technically’ redid the first film, that part was over in about the first 15 minutes, and the rest was completely new material.

[@ir1041]

He re-done this exact story about 5 times it’s beyond boring now

[@yourresidentginger1245]

Actually the remake at the beginning of 2 is because they lost the rights to Evil Dead 1.

[@XanderVJ]

I think it has one downside, and it's that it's too much of a slippery slope, specially if both attempts are consecutive.

[@noakai]

You know how you know a book has reached like "critical mass" and millions are out there? If every time you go into a Goodwill, there are copies. Da Vinci Code, the Twilight series, Harry Potter books...every time you go you're guaranteed to see one if not all three.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

And don't forget 50 shades novels...

[@nate1066pollock]

Dan Brown's ability to vividly describe the setting far exceeds his ability to write a compelling narrative. When I read Inferno, my biggest takeaway was places in Italy I want to visit. This book was pretty good, I did not enjoy the movie.

[@marocat4749]

True, his books are enjoyable and page turner, if not very memorable due his lack of greater engaging narratives. I give him some mmorable characters like the to be pope with daddy issues. I jut really stopped when he got way too out there. But he writes entertaining and easy at least. I liked angels and demons , because its not too outlandish.

[@ajerqureshi6411]

I mentioned this in my own comment, but I remember when visiting Istanbul with the family, my mom had recently read Inferno (which takes place largely in Turkey) and according to her, the description of the Basilica Cistern in the book was word-for-word perfect to what she saw in real life.

[@mozartcastellanosGK]

The Lost Symbol is cool too, but I find Angels & Demons still much more enjoyable than Inferno movie.

[@nerdfightercommenter6969]

This is late but same. I even forgot the name of the book but one of them made me want to visit La Sagrada Familia. It just seemed so beautiful with how Dan Brown described it.

[@lovecraftianleviathan8918]

I feel like this was the last movie of Tom Hanks’ career where they tried to get away with the idea that Hanks is a young-ish man. He’s played nothing but older, grandpa or wizened mentor types since then, appropriately.

[@Elsa-wq5ug]

And Woody, but that’s a given

[@nalinea18]

"I love you, you little distraction." -The Dom perfectly summarizing what it's like being owned by a cat-

[@Kelfsword16]

'Hello you little distraction,' the endearment of every artist to their pets :3 Always a good sign you should take a break though. ^_^

[@andreagriffiths3512]

Best comment in the comment section.

[@garfreeek]

I love these books, the formula is always the same: Big reveal of classified information, secret organisation, goose chase around a famous city or famous cities....but I love the little factoids and puzzles, and the set pieces are always great! Inferno actually was my favourite. Great location for the easter egg hunt, his best villain, and a great ending (that they changed in the film, which ruined it!)

[@beckie8168]

I agree, I've just finished The Lost Symbol and I enjoyed. I don't think you read Dan Brown to broaden your literary horizons but rather you read them like you watch a History Channel documentary. They're really interesting and have great graphics but they're always a bit lacking y'know?

[@ViniLdCff]

Yeah, I love his books too. I even read Deception Point! I know they're trashy, but somehow they just... hook me. I have to read a lot for university, so I just stopped reading books, and that consumes me, makes me feel stupid. So when Origin released and I was able to finish it in a week I was relieved, finally noticing that college was just taking a lot of energy, not that I was getting stupid or whatever. So, they're trashy books, but they make me happy. Also, they release the books here in Brazil simultaneously with the rest of the world, so I'm impressed he cares about it. Normally it takes months or even years.

[@MissCaraMint]

Exactly. I usually call stuff like this popcorn literature, because it's just the light reading that is fun and you don’t take too seriously. I read a lot of books and popcorn literature is absolutely essential as a pallet cleanser between more serious works. Besides anything that gets people reading is a good thing.

[@thomasdendtler4077]

@@ViniLdCff Deception Point was great! I loved that Brown finally got away from the Langdon series

[@petitwallaby]

I like his descriptions of famous monuments and buildings! I feel like if I ever visited them in real life, it would feel like I've been there before, you know?

[@aaronbourque5494]

"Nothing burger" is a pretty good way to sum up Dan Brown's oeuvre.

[@msnat1304]

Angels and Demons was oddly the one book of his that I read and I remember being really disappointed of how he treats female characters and how much of a Gary Stu Langdon was. I was also one of the few who saw Inferno and the fact that I don't remember anything that happens in that movie tells you how engaging it was :/

[@jazzycat8917]

The fact the filmakers completely changed the ending of Inferno for a safe and cuddly "heroes save the day from the baddie" instead of what actually happens is infuriating, its such a cowardly Hollywood thing to do.

[@haleymist09]

Gary Stu! Love it.

[@Spectra651]

@@jazzycat8917 Truth! Seriously, that made me so angry. The "villain" in the book was so much more interesting and morally ambiguous, but in the movie he's just your standard cookie-cutter, evil "bad guy." There might have been an interesting conversation there had they left the ending unchanged, but nah, we wouldn't want your brain to melt, loyal moviegoer, so here's some easily-digestible dreck you don't have to think about more than 30 seconds after you've left the theater. It's especially a shame since the creepy, underground cistern is probably my favorite location in any Dan Brown novel for how moody and atmospheric it is, but the ending just left too bad a taste in my mouth for me to enjoy it much.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

I HAVE A SILLY HOBBY: I like recommending education and science and fun (sometimes all fused in 1) to random people. But without knowing much about you or your preferences, i can kinda only shoot into the Darkness, ya know. But well, i would recommend the following three to all humans anyway, so whatever: -Sci Man Dan. -Professor Dave Explains. -Veritasium.

[@marocat4749]

Why did they leave out daddy isues, both from the female protagonist and the nearly new pope. Make a lot more sense what drove him there. Daddy issues is a trope for reasons. Talking about angels and demons, the bad guy is actually interesting with daddy issues. They changed infernos rather leak ending, wow that makes it interting.

[@bookcat123]

My college writing class was analyzing a variety of different classic books’ writing styles, and the professor wanted a current best seller on the list so added DaVinci Code without reading it first. We basically spent a week mocking it, even when we attempted to dig into the question of “why does this sell?” seriously.

[@JessCDoesHistory]

Angels and Demons is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I do like to read it when I'm feeling rough and can't devote any brainspace to anything else. I first read it when I was about thirteen and got really into the history of Rome, and my mum took me to the city that summer!

[@theDENIMMAN]

I saw inferno in theatres (a friend had recieved a preview screening pass and I was his plus one) Let me be clear about how bad Inferno was: I got in for free and still felt ripped off

[@TrekBeatTK]

Come now, Inferno is a perfect movie to stumble across on TNT on a Saturday afternoon while folding laundry.

[@theDENIMMAN]

@@TrekBeatTK fair enough

[@nicestpancake]

@@TrekBeatTK ah, a good-ol 'laundry folder'

[@vanessazorro6297]

I actually liked Angels and Demons better than the other book. Found it more fun.

[@hi-rw4nl]

Same

[@MissCaraMint]

Yeah Angels and Demons is the better one.

[@Kenshiro3rd]

Better paced too, IMO.

[@Cat-uw8lz]

I was wondering if maybe it’s a ‘whichever one you read first’ thing. I also enjoyed angels and demons more.

[@vanyadolly]

Absolutely. Much more interesting IMO

[@jacobkeyser8628]

I would love to see The Martian lost in adaptation

[@ltjgambrose]

I have told so many people that the Martian is my favorite book because it's so funny, tense, and full of detailed science. The ones who've seen the film think it's a sort of action movie, but the tension is so lost in the speed at which it goes by in order to shove "slowly dying for a year, millions of miles away from every other human" into ~2 hours.

[@hollandscottthomas]

@@ltjgambrose My gf just finished the book so we did a rewatch of the film and... it's a good movie but it misses a LOT of the charm of the book. All his hilarious monologues just get condensed into smarmy one-liners, and they completely remove all the tension of the incoming storm from the back half.

[@edisonlima4647]

@@hollandscottthomas It misses on the charm, but the story is all there.

[@johannageisel5390]

@@edisonlima4647 Some events are missing, particularly the last obstacles he faces shortly before he reaches the new rocket thingy (forgot the name). - the sandstorm and how he figured out where it was going - and the falling over of his vehicles That said, I think the movie is a good adaptation. You cannot put everything into a movie that is in a book. I love listening to the audiobook. It's also one of my favourites. Have recently listened to Project Hail Mary too, which is also good (though there seems to be an error in thought at one point).

[@ltjgambrose]

@@hollandscottthomas Not only that, but there are a lot of really dark moments that show how scared everyone is while they try to put on brave faces. Maybe the biggest one is when Johannsen's dad asks her what will happen if they can't resupply on the way back to Mars to get Watney and Johannsen tells him that the captain trusts her to pilot the ship back herself. If the ship fails they're going to commit suicide to save enough resources to get it back to earth with one of them left. Once they get the supplies on board Martinez jokingly asks her who she would have eaten first, and honestly all I could think was "oh my god... these people are all terrified". It's not a book about space, or Mars, or action, or scifi. It's a book where 9 billion human beings on earth refuse to let one human being die on another planet.

[@LeoFieTv]

There'S one redeeming aspect of Dan Brown's work. It got a lot of 13 year olds into art history.

[@desmondgentle1474]

Since he's doing "Angels and Demons", did he also do "The Da Vinci Code" and I just missed it? Edit: And nevermind, I just remembered the chronology.

[@regiman222]

If it helps, I didn't know the chronology until I watched this movie, so was similarly confused

[@HereticalKitsune]

Currently reading Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and that trope of male writers describing female characters ad nauseum is something that happens there too. Even if the female is just a teenager. I have rarely skipped so many paragraphs in a book series before.

[@rob.3143]

You were absolutely right Dom. I had forgotten 'Inferno' existed.

YES! When he mentioned it I was like "WHAT?", but then I remembered I actually watched it at the movies.

[@williammahoney8948]

Honestly the whole middle-aged-man-power-fantasy is such a fair critique of so many novels that I never really noticed before. Eye opening!

[@ChristianeLevesque]

"mediocre middle aged man power fantasy" I like that description. yoinking it.

[@SWProductions100]

I think that titles a little too insulting, even though it is worth pointing out.

[@katherinemorelle7115]

How is it that Ron Howard still looks like he’s 17 no matter how old he gets, how much of a beard he grows, or how much hair in his head he loses? He’s just eternally youthful!

[@davidhanson4909]

He's got a sort of Dorian Gray deal with his brother Clint: he stays eternally Ritchie Cunningham and Clint ages for both. Except for the male pattern baldness. Even magic is hit-or-miss with that shit.

[@alyssabrown-carleton6173]

I think he looks like he's wearing old makeup for Halloween in high school

[@benjaminmuratore9341]

I'm interested in eventually seeing The Da Vinci Code and Inferno get their own episodes.

[@JamesTobiasStewart]

Yeah honestly when I saw this I just assumed that surely he must have done 'The Da Vinci Code' already at least, but no. While I don't think much of the series I would be interested to seeing him talk about all 3.

[@TheLuckySpades]

I remember CERN has a webpage solely devoted to debunking what Brown wrote about antimatter and their capacities to produce it Basically he exaggerates theor capacity by multiple orders of magnitude, all the antimatter ever produced on earth is nowhere near as much as is featured in the story Also on the point of his books being formulaic and predictable (mild early story spoilers for Origins): In Origins by the time we have seen all the characters and know an AI is involved I had guessed in broad strokes what the main plot would be, but was im denial because it is one of the most overdone AI plots ever, Asimov even touches om it in his Robot Series (and the "in name only" I, Robot adaptation goes full hog on it)

[@benlowe1701]

The thing I most remember about this book was how it was a question in my GCSE Physics Exam. It contained an extract from the book, and the question was essentially "Explain how this is complete nonsense". Just off the top of my head, it claims and electron is the antiparticle of a proton. I went to a Catholic School and am from a Catholic family, and to be honest, I found the bad science WAY more offensive than any supposed "Anti-Catholic" sentiment.

[@M_M_ODonnell]

The physics is complete nonsense, and the semiotics (which is supposed to be the main character's professional field of study) is so incoherent, wrong, or completely backwards that it can't even rise to the level of nonsense.

[@OptimusPhillip]

I'm sorry, did he _actually_ say that electrons are the antiparticle of protons? I learned what an electron was in fifth fucking grade! Even if you've never heard of an antiproton, surely you would know that electrons aren't antimatter!

[@shefalikar]

My friend gifted me Angels and Demons on my birthday. All the religious and iconoclast references were very new to me (I'm Indian, also kinda atheist), so I pretty much devoured all his books within the next year.

[@Louipol]

Loved the episode, but as a Dane i'm kinda sad that Dom didn't even say the name of Nikolaj Lie Kaas (The assasin), he's a HUGE actor in Danmark. He didn't mention Chartrand either, who is also played by a danish actor (Thure Lindhart).

[@MonyXChan]

Right? I mean, he might be our second biggest, right after Mads Mikkelsen.

[@Louipol]

@@MonyXChan oh yeah definitely, and he might not be as popular to non Danish audiences as Pilou Asbæk, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and of course Mads Mikkelsen, but in Danmark he's pretty damn famous.

[@yarpen26]

Speaking of which, I am absolutely blown away by these guys' English pronunciation. I've been listening to English stuff on an everyday basis for the past fifteen years or so, my grammar is probably as good as it gets... but my accent is hopeless and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. Nobody would have confused me for a native speaker in a million years.

[@MissCaraMint]

I thought I recognized his face.

[@charsol2389]

I actually quite enjoy Dan Brown’s books when I want an easy read that doesn’t require much from me. He’s pretty good at building enough tension to keep you reading. All of the film adaptations have frustrated me however due to things they chose to change or miss out. Also although I like Tom Hanks I don’t think his casting works when compared to the wish fulfilling description of Robert in the books. Inferno was infuriating however, best thing about it was the ending and they wimped out and changed it in the film.

[@johnnydkota5709]

Agreed.

[@cenobitecenobite7380]

I remember reading davinci code and thinking, “ I could write a crappy conspiracy novel about Attila the Hun being frozen in honey and the clues the Russo Chinese leave behind trying to find him and unleash him upon the world.” Then I read Foucaults Pendulum and thought maybe I can’t do this.

[@LOLWATZOR]

I got really into Dan Brown's books as a teen. I don't know which aspects of the books would still appeal to me as an adult, but seeing this film in theaters, I was enraged by the omission of Langdon in the helicopter at the climactic moment. Langdon desperately trying to survive after being abandoned in a helicopter with a bomb on board was easily the best part of that book for me.

[@megadude967]

"Please, I'm a week away from retirement. I have to be at my son's dance recital" "Sorry can't here you over my gun" 10/10 writing

[@HamzaKhan-uc8wz]

A gun fitted with a silencer lol

[@Arksimon2k]

Ooh nice! So this was one of the Book/Film adaptations that really got me thinking about adaptations as a whole. I hadn't read the Da Vinci Code and I got a hold of Angels and Demons by chance. I binged the whole thing, i really loved it. Then I was happy to see a film be made of it. I remember being blown away by the opening titles because of the intense Hans Zimmer music, and by the end I was confused why a Preferiti was still alive, and the Hashashin was not...that. But I did understand why some things were streamlined, like merging certain characters together. It got rid of some drawn out booky things for the better. Overall I still like the film but I think the music and actors carry it hard.

[@KoalaTulip47]

Another great video, Dom. I remember the hysteria about the Da Vinci Code back in 2003, didn't even know that it was a sequel. Another example of a sequel actually being a reworked and more popular version of its predecessor is Sailor Moon, of Codename: Sailor V. That's what the beginning story reminds me of.

[@kristinlundell9924]

Yay! New video!!! I am bringing my precious cat to the vet, she has been limping :( wish us luck friends!

[@moonjabes]

Good luck

[@rob.3143]

Best of luck.

[@mirjanbouma]

Best of luck! I hope she just pulled a muscle

[@kristinlundell9924]

She did indeed just pull a muscle, the little scamp 💖💖

[@mirjanbouma]

@@kristinlundell9924 that's a relief ☺️

[@corradosecchi6810]

Hi Italian here throwing my two cents, and for the record that is a pretty good accent! A huge thing about this story is the obviousness of the plot if you have ever been to Rome. It is stated, very early on, that a key component of the Illuminati 'puzzles' around the city is the presence of angels around monuments/ holy places/ etc. Castel Sant'Angelo, aside from the name, has a very visible gigantic statue of St.Michaels on top: seriously, it is an apparent and well-known feature of the Roman skyline. The fact that no one of the main characters in the story thought about checking it as a precaution makes absolutely no sense.

[@herodotus945]

The book also claims that the church Santa Maria della Vittoria is located at the Piazza Barberini, while in fact it's a bit to the west in one of the streets leading to it.

[@corradosecchi6810]

@@herodotus945 Indeed. Still, I would not fault a US author for that. I would, however, take issue with one of the main plot points of the book: I went to see this in theaters when it was out in 2009, and by the second half most people in the audience were shouting at the screen that they should check Castel Sant'Angelo, and we were not even in Rome.

[@the0thersyde725]

I know the book has its problems. But this was the first adaptation I remember being disappointed by after having read the book. I went to a catholic school in the UK as a teenager and got it out from the school library without knowing it was linked to da Vinci code (which I find incredibly stupid just as a concept). I really enjoyed the book, the mystery running around Rome, the characters, and the dangers of both science and religion at the core. Then I watched the film and was utterly baffled by a lot of the choices they made as well as cutting what I thought was one of the more interesting characters.

[@bthsr7113]

"Desperate quest for relevance." Yeah, that feels apt for Peacock. I'm always forgetting it exists. Then again, that applies to a lot of streaming services.

[@grkpektis]

I remember reading the book and thinking "he's describing her body in so much detail it must be important, maybe because she's toned she'll be a better fighter than Langdon or od the heavy lifting". Nope

[@maxhatterschannel5140]

I can't wait for his comparison of Good Omens ^^

[@rob.3143]

Same here, really looking forward to it. Unlike season 2, which I am not.

[@maxhatterschannel5140]

@@rob.3143 theres no chance that it will come cloase to the first season. But I hope it will be atleast not bad

[@rob.3143]

@@maxhatterschannel5140 The upside I suppose is that it won't be an adaptation. Which means that it won't have something to live up to. But it also means that other people will now have to try and copy the combined genius of Pratchett and Gaiman.

[@maxhatterschannel5140]

@@rob.3143 Thats true, i actually read the book after watching the Show. The Show was just WAY to good to not read the Book it was based on and i already was a Fan of Terry Pratchett before that anyway.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

I've read the book countless times, but I still need to go around to watch the show.

[@Don_LUSH]

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this book was the take on the Illuminaty as an old branch of the church instead of the meme lizard people/alien/shadow goverment council everyone pokes fun, made it realistic enough to suspend my disbelief maybe

[@shinyagumon7015]

Also the fact that the "Illuminati" weren't actually responsible and it was just someone using them as a cover.

[@edennis8578]

So you think that the Illuminati as a group of rich/powerful families running the world doesn't exist? So you haven't learned ANYTHING from the pandemic. You haven't learned anything from knowing that the Bilderberg meetings of the heads of state and rich movers and shakers meets every year to decide on our (the little people) fate? That most of the countries of the world made a huge power grab in TANDEM in order to bring forward the New World Order ("Bring Back Better, You"ll own nothing and be happy about it)? Omg, how far up your own backside do you have to be to be so blind?

[@shinyagumon7015]

@@edennis8578 Please stop. You are only making a fool out of yourself and you know it. Please get help

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

@@shinyagumon7015 Thanks for saying it so the rest of us don't have to

[@dunes8817]

@@edennis8578 Sir. Tinfoil goes on potatoes, not your head.

[@mst3kharris]

My favorite part of the book is when Robert Langdon leaps from a helicopter hundreds of feet above the Tiber, with only a tarp to increase his drag coefficient. He not only survives because he pointed his toes, but he’s able to carry on without any significant hospital time. I actually ended up googling to see if I could find anybody’s analysis of the physics of that scene. In any case, I was ever so sad that Tom Hanks didn’t get to enact it. Edited to add: wait, is this also the movie where Robert says he can’t read Latin? I about fell over laughing at that part.

[@M_M_ODonnell]

You don't need to read Latin when the universe in Dan Brown's novels is written in English.

[@davidgantenbein9362]

Not to mention that they actually moved the equivalent of a nuke into a much better position to cause maximum damage, after all, there is a reason nukes are detonated way above ground. And we don’t want to start with the fountain scene, where they ignore buoyancy, to make lifting the thing in water to look impossible although it was possible in air, with way less buoyancy. But the biggest shame is the way the movie is filmed, not really showing a lot of the beautiful city it is placed in.

[@atiredfloridian777]

Didn't expect this, but a pleasant surprise! Honestly, I don't mind Dan's writing. It's delightfully ridiculous, like a B-Movie and honestly, I can kinda respect that.

[@mirjanbouma]

That's exactly it, well said.

[@kain1799]

I remember reading the first two books when I was like 13 or so and liking them. But really not caring for the second nearly as much.

[@HeyCupertino]

Love how movie Langdon always takes over the room with a, "THERE'S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! (whispered) you have to TRUST me."

[@Kookiebiskit]

The book is pretty weak, but it introduced me to the incredible work of John Langdon. His ambigrams and other clever designs are amazing.

[@deboozombie23]

When I first heard of Angels & Demons - and its content about Illuminati, I couldnt help but think that Dan Brown was somewhat inspired to the illuminati conspiracy by Robert Anton Wilson's & Robert Shea's Acid driven Trilogy "Illuminatus" - which is actually supposed to be a satire on conspiracy theories.

[@pattheplanter]

I assumed everyone had read those, and the Schroödinger's Cat trilogy. I am very annoyed that I have not caught any of the stage adaptations by the Campbells. I played the Call of Cthulhu game, which also included the Illuminati.

[@ajerqureshi6411]

My mom certainly was a fan of Dan Brown's books, largely from a mystery thriller perspective, and while I personally today find them to be overrated at best, I can admit that they had some cool things going for it at places...two fun stories with my mom regarding these books: 1. My mom read Inferno before we as a family got to visit Istanbul. During our trip, we went to the Basilica Cistern, this sort of neat sewer place with a lot of neat columns and water...and according to my mom, the location ended up matching the description of the same place in Inferno word-for-word and it impressed her! 2. While my mom doesn't have anything against Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, she has admitted she personally thought Nicholas Cage would have better fit the role. More specifically, Nicholas Cage from National Treasure, a movie she likes quite a lot.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I watched the Da Vinci Code film years ago and was really bored by it. At least Nick Cage on National Treasure form would have made it fun and lightened it up a bit.

[@thats4thebirds]

Lost Symbol was my favorite of all of them so the fact that they leaped it to go to the 4th one always bummed me.

[@SuperDoNotWant]

And yet from watching the show, it's complete dog crap. I'm not judging you for liking dog crap because that would be hypocritical of me, but... if that's the best one... wow.

[@jazzycat8917]

I don't really remember anything about the Lost Symbol other than there was a tattoo man and a squid

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@SuperDoNotWant I'm still interested to see that one adapted, so has that already happened, and where? It has a decent, if over the top villain, and the ideas do get provocative, at times - and far fetched at times. It goes a bit more lurid than prior Brown books, too. The book has some decent twists and turns, but does have something of a anticlimatic wrap up.

[@marocat4749]

I dont get why they focus on langdo who is ore predictable and the religious conspiracy but not really angle, i liked his not langdon books more.

[@lilithali8582]

I had an early Dan brown phase that I grew out of around the release of inferno the novel. Rn would rather watch you tell me the plot than actually reading it

[@lauriechan1426]

When I read the Da Vinci Code when all the hype was going on, Langdon really felt like a giant self insert power fantasy 🤣 but it was enjoyable and fun to read

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

The Church of the Algorithm gives this video its blessing, and must it stay clear of the blasphemers from The First Algorithmic Temple (and the many people impersonating their members).

[@sarahdodge2866]

🙏 amen

[@werelemur1138]

Male author writes his power fantasy, complete with attractive woman and car: everybody's totally fine with it. Female author writes female character with even the slightest bit of agency: THIS CHARACTER IS A BLATANT MARY SUE!!!!!!!!!!!!ELEVENTYONE!!!!! I wasn't watching this movie for a plot, I was watching for Ewan McGregor dressed as a priest.

[@caitlin2701]

I'm with you on Ewan McGregor as a priest. Watching the movie I was oddly fine with his character becoming pope despite the terrorism because...well... Ewan McGregor. Plus it's interesting (and frustrating) how gender changes the perception of the "hero/power fantasy." I personally think wish fulfilment will always have its place in entertainment, it ultimately comes down to the quality of the story as to whether or not I can put up with the "perfect" protagonist.

[@TobiasKremer]

I will forever the astonished how Dan Brown managed to be so super successful with these books build around the protagonist just pulling random facts out of thin air.

[@Tina_Bo_Binaaa]

I read all the Dan Brown books when the movie came out and was interested to see all the books made into a movie. Tom hanks was the perfect casting for Robert Langdon in my opinion. However, after the angels and demons movie I understood why they only did one more movie. Was surprised it was Inferno though. Didn't even know there was a tv series in the works. Will be checking that out.

[@marocat4749]

Will they do meteor or diabolus, cause they dont have langdon.

[@lockretvids]

My father loves Dan Brown books, so I also read them by his recommendation when I was a kid. I remember liking them and it actually sparked my interest in history. Then I actually started studying history and... let's just say I spared my father the disappointment.

[@rontandoroya]

The Dan Brown series are in a special place in my heart. They are the reason why i passed my Grade 1 Eiken exam(a major english examination in Japan, and grade 1 is the highest difficulty!). Although i’m a bit sad that the books aren’t accurate at all, just because the book isn’t accurate it doesn’t mean it’s a bad read. As long as you ignore the information about the architecture/organizations and just understand that the buildings and organizations exist, it’s pretty fun. Recommend it. gotta admit though, Angels and Demons is leagues better than DaVinci Code.

[@Quasimodo-mq8tw]

"Did you try the Ravioli?" 🤣😅😆 I love your oblivious characters!

[@CuddlesTheSlayer]

When you do the other books, please bring up the fact the Symbology is not a real field of study. I’ve been watching conspiracy videos and they always bring up symbolism like it’s a read academic field of study with actual laws and rules that must be followed, when in reality they are talking out there ass, seeing things that are not there, and making wild claims out of nothing.

[@davidhanson4909]

The Knights Templar Oreos is probably my favorite (Scott Wolter-He played Football, y'know!)

[@searchingfororion]

I've never heard of a degree in it but there certainly are courses regarding symbolism / symbology in a wide range of subjects, symbolism in art symbolism through history, symbolism in [insert type] culture, it's also addressed in sociology and psychology. The most glaring example of this is of course Freud who was so obsessed with seeing/saying associations with openings we're vaginal and anything longer than it is wide being phallic gave us the permanent turn of phrase, "Freudian slip" and others to joke about something sounding dirty-minded. Back to my original point, I've never heard of ever being able to get a degree in symbolism/symbology - but someone could have a reputation for being very good at analyzing symbols even esoteric ones or lesser known/nearly forgotten meanings. We could look at how the character is introduced in The DaVinci Code film as a TED talk. One doesn't necessarily have to have a degree to be extremely knowledgeable and be able to pass that knowledge to others.

[@M_M_ODonnell]

Semiotics is a real field of study...and "Symbology" in the books is semiotics done completely backwards. It's like a book where there are "physicsists" who run around trying to stop people from breaking the Laws of Physics. Except even more wrong.

[@M_M_ODonnell]

@@searchingfororion The Da Vinci Code (and the rest of Dan Brown's novels) treat meaning as inherent in symbols rather than a context-dependent human practice, which basically assumes that the universe is a work of fiction written in a particular language in a particular symbolic tradition. And it *still* can't get basic details put together coherently.

[@searchingfororion]

@@M_M_ODonnell I did read The DaVinci Code and simply referenced the film sequence for ease in my comment. I think that one actually drives home that symbols are context driven (such as Poseidon's trident and the garments individuals associated with the KKK without the rest of the image). I will be honest with you and say that I do not remember much more of specific examples, however I had a unique experience reading reading it: a, as a pagan, and b, with my *massive* art history textbook so I could view the pieces they were analysing myself. I can understand frustration if the topic of semiotics (thanks for the new word btw) is one you are passionate about and seeing it portrayed improperly. I remember the answer to the puzzle after going to Sir Isaac Newton's tomb being "apple" irking me as a math nerd. The clue was what globe/sphere is missing [sic] and the *dramatic* reveal that it was apple made me take a moment to scream internally because geometrically *that's not right* - so I fully understand your desire to clarify and illuminate.

[@nancyjay790]

Another terrific contribution by IL Neige and Sir Terry.

[@3lcw385]

I read the book back in the day, and even though I didn't remember anything at all about it, just from watching the video I could already tell that Ewan McGreogor's character was going to be the villain. I'm not sure it was that obvious in the book, but it seemed pretty obvious from the clips you showed. Like you said, predictable plot. (Also, I cringed so hard when she just casually ripped out the page from that manuscript. I am glad they skipped the romance subplot though.) P.S.: The random Monty Python And The Knights Of The Holy Grail "cameo" made me laugh.

[@billuraral1870]

Oh, he was obviously the villain the book too. That's the thing with all of Brown's books; you can figure out who's the secret bad guy and who's the red herring the moment they're intruduced

[@M_M_ODonnell]

The books are about making the audience feel smart for being in on the secret real meanings of things; it would undermine that purpose if the audience couldn't easily spot the villain.

[@TonksMoriarty]

"A hero who is basically the author but in great shape, driving a cool car, and picking up a hot, much younger, girlfriend, after being thrust into a situation where only his otherwise boring academic knowledge can save the day." Minus the girlfriend, that's basically the Martian summarised. as Andy Weir freely admits that Watney is a "better version" of himself, and certainly in better shape with all that astronaut training; the cool car is his Martian Rover, and his knowledge about chemistry, biology, and electronics end up saving his life. Fyi, I love the Martian, but think its funny that it lines up quite well with that description Dom gave.

[@chrisblake4198]

Thing is, the Illuminati have always been a meme, at least since the idea of them resurfaced in the 60s-70s. So Brown treating them super seriously was always weird, not just weird in hindsight.

[@jedgrahek1426]

The real life story that inspired Dan Brown in the first place is infinitely more interesting than the fiction he contrived. It was a series of BBC documentaries in the 80's or so that was narrated by the guy himself, and the real historical figures and facts that are attached to the mystery make it mesmerizing to absorb. It's extremely clear that there was some great secret that a French priest uncovered on his own, he took it to his grave, only telling his lifelong "housekeeper" female partner, and she was supposed to reveal the information publicly before she died, but she of course had a stroke or something like that and never had the opportunity to give the deathbed confession she was intended to. The whole thing is nuts, but clearly real. Look up "Henry Lincoln BBC documentary" or similar and it's on youtube, there are 4 episodes, and a few other more contemporary documentaries made after the huge success of the Dan Brown crap. Why bother with fiction when the real factual history is way more intriguing?

[@marocat4749]

Its not that rare, female house keeper and cooks or like that, thats not new. Or rare. If its about priests and kids, not rare at all. Like ther was a hillarous story how a priest got punished by his expartnr for being a homophobe, for the purity of the duty, by herself mentioning he is a hypocrite with their not too long ago partnership.

[@Heothbremel]

Love this breakdown and Sir Terry is being adorably helpful as always ❤❤❤❤

[@tardisgirl1237]

You would be really surprised about accents, Dominic. I grew up in Australia with an English family, and both my parents and my brother have true-blue Aussie accents now, and I get asked on a daily basis when I moved here from the UK.

[@Flareontoast]

This is an algorithm pleasing comment. Love the outro song

[@vanyadolly]

Am I the only one who was cheering on for the "villain" at the end? The main character is such an annoying Gary Stu

[@rafithomas]

Yeah, but I think the murdering terrorist is still a villain.

[@leejohnstone894]

The film adaptation of Silence of the Lambs is very close to the novel. There is two references to Will Graham and the events of Red Dragon. Clarice Starling is well aware of what happened to Will Graham and how Hannibal Lector was behind it by giving Francis Dollarhyde (the tooth fairy) Graham's address

[@KatKaleen]

I watched this movie with my sister at the cinema and what drove me nuts was that they DROVE EVERYWHERE. The historic centre of Rome with all the cool shit isn't that big. Traffic is pure, beautiful chaos (just walk steadily on as a pedestrian, the mofas will swerve around you), it's always congested - you will be ten times faster if you just WALK! I've been to Rome twice, love the city. Three's the charm.

[@Mobysimo]

Now I wanna see your thoughts on Inferno. I know that one changed quite a lot

[@TheGoldfishArmy]

As flawed as Dan Brown's books can be, I can't help but love all of them. They manage to hold my attention better than almost anything else and I find them strangely re-readable.

[@Daaaanielle]

Agree!!!! I'm hardly a snob in most things and his books are entretaining as hell. Sometimes you just need something fun to read, especially when the actual world is basically on fire and serious enough. I can't wait for his new ones, even if people judge me lol.

[@Limeyvip]

for a while i was confused why the filmmakers didn't use the final ambigram brand (with all the element names) but it just occurred to me that i had been reading the version of the book with pictures (which i vastly appreciated) and if i remembered right, they did have a picture of the brand with all four words! that version of the book must have come out after the movie did

[@star3catcherSEQUEL]

"What was he supposed to do, start an Illuminati-themed cow farm?" Well I have a new dream.

[@caitlin2701]

Best of luck! I fully support your dream because I would love to see such a themed farm.

[@chefskiss6179]

The movie gave us Ayelet Zurer and I'll always be grateful for that :) And of course, pours one out for the ever wonderful Pierfrancesco Favino. Whenever I watch this gem, it's just that, I 'watch' it. I have it on mute while playing that beautiful score by Hans Zimmer; the colour palette used is so beautiful and opulent.

[@VoodooGremlin]

On the subject of books being similar. The Lost Symbol and Digital Fortress have similar story beats. I believe that Dan Brown has a bag of 10 writer tricks uses them all occasionally shuffling the order to keep things interesting. I actually read Angels & Demons before Da Vinci Code and I prefer former but hey to each their own.

[@eliasbischoff176]

I just finally realised why I was always confused about how many books there are in the Langdon series. It's because two of the titles were changed when they were translated to German, one was translated verbatim and for one they just kept the English title... In German the books are called 1. Illuminati 2. Sakrileg 3. Das verlorene Symbol 4. Origin However, the second movie, or the first... The adaptation of the second book, is still called inferno, I think. That was probably a harder mystery to solve than any of those in the books. (Just kidding)

[@MarceloZ2]

I never took any of Dan Brown's books seriously in terms of the things he claims in the start of each book that are "real", because most of the time, they aren't real. I've always seen the books as purely fictional and, out of all of them, Angels and Demons is the one I enjoy the most because it was the first I read and the plot structure wasn't tiring to me as it was in his subsequent novels (that all have *the exact same plot structure)* and that it was probably the most bonkers in terms of action. I mean, how not to enjoy a Harvard teacher jumping out of a helicopter, without parachutes, with only some kind of plastic thing to glide him in the air, as the helicopter explodes and he lands in a monastery while a fucking antimatter bomb ticks threatening to explode the Vatican? I mean, it's pure gold.

[@Esty568]

I actually love the Inferno movie. I watched it completely unaware of the book, and it did such an amazing job slowly revealing the mystery.

[@jazzycat8917]

Have you read the book since? I mean people can like what they like but the ending to the movie is a fucking cop out, its the complete opposite to the book and so much worse for it.

[@Esty568]

@@jazzycat8917 I tried to read it after i saw the movie, but i sadly have not much time to read 😥 So the movie had a different ending? That’s a bit harsh for the fans of the book. I just like the director work and the phasing of the events, because it is coordinated well i think. It keeps the watcher’s attention.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@Esty568 yes, it wasn't a disease, but more of a specialized drug, and more I will not spoil... Ambra also has a much smaller role in the book.

[@lexh.5225]

I was told to read Angels & Demons first before I started DaVinci Code, so glad I did. I honestly feel that A&D is the better book.

[@MrHEC381991]

I remember reading an article in a newspaper a few years ago about charity shop owners asking people to stop giving them copies of The Da Vinci Code lol there were dozens of them in nearly every charity shop. I got two copies of it for Christmas back in 2006.

[@Sootielove]

This was a really good episode :D I've neither read the book or watched the film but you still make it really entertaining to watch

[@Caernath]

Dom: “The Illuminati are basically a meme now.” Me: “...so they’re the Illu-meme-nati?”

[@Grim_Sister]

Weirdest thing, I was certain that National Treasure with Nick Cage was the adaptation to The De Vinci Code. TBH, would rather see Cage going bonkers then Hanks just staring into space and saying “My god!”

[@kagekun1198]

Oh, and in Kohler's flashback, once he was crippled and his life was saved at the last minute by the doctor over the parents protests, they went to a priest to ask what went wrong. Throughout the whole thing, Kohler was praying madly to God for salvation and relief. When they asked the priest why did Kohler had to suffer, the priest said, "He simply didn't have enough faith." That priest was the Camerlengo.

[@generalsleepy3859]

Watching this with my art nerd sister was hilarious, because she was way more concerned with all of the harm being done to the works of art than anything else. We were already laughing through the whole thing, but I drove her crazy during the climax reminding her of just how many precious artworks must have been knocked over and broken during all the hubbub.

[@forty_two42]

I didn't realize peacock wasn't popular. All of my friends and Family love Peacock. I guess I accidentally fell into a weird echo chamber of people who love the Peacock streaming service. That's insane.

[@thevikingbear2343]

Angels and Demons is my favorite movie of the series. The Lost Symbol is my favorite book of the series. Inferno was bad in both cases.

[@thevikingbear2343]

The Da Vinci Code is below Angels and Demons. But I have to admit that I quote the movie everytime with this line.""it's so late that is already early."

[@darkstardragon99]

curious why lost symbol is your favourite? its been a few years since i read his books but i remember liking it the least. for a few reasons: it was so obvious the bad guy was actually zachary. the whole science/mind over matter stuff being introduced and then doing nothing with it. the lost symbol being a copy of the bible was just stupid. but mainly because there were no stakes involved at all - all the other books at least had potential for large scale changes. this one was just save one guy. i mean inferno was mediocre but it ended with entire human race changed by the virus.

[@VeracityLH]

I knew A&D was written before DVC and saw the similarities, but hadn't thought about DVC being basically a new & improved version of A&D.

[@FadzaiSimango]

As a screen actor, I aspire to be able to move my eyebrows with the force and fluidity that The Dom does his.