Rating: D
The more I think about this movie, the more mad I get. And then my inner madness turns into annoyance. Just a whole lot of annoyance.
On to the review!
Inferno! Based on the book by Dan Brown, sequel to the popular 2006's The Da Vinci Code, follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) on yet another rousing mystery. This shrouded in mystery plot centers around Dante's The Divine Comedy, which isn't a comedy at all, unless you're sadistic, but a long poem about the afterlife and the several levels of Heaven and Hell. We're trapped in the Inferno portion of this Comedy, or confused mystery solving thriller, take your pick. Honestly, Inferno is nothing akin to funny. Brown is joined on this merry adventure against death and human wiping destruction with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a young so called doctor who may or may not be a childhood prodigy, and has obsessed over Dan Brown's work all her life.
The villain in this piece is Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) who believes he must save humanity by first killing it. His method of killing involves releasing a global epidemic worse than an out of control Ebola strike. It's all in the name of population control, because in a short amount of years there will be way too many people alive draining resources and so forth, and therefore the bulk of humanity must perish now so those resistant to the disease can carry the banner to a brighter future, or whatever. And this is where the movie lost me. I won't get into the politics behind population growth theory, as there's a lot debate on both sides of the aisle, but Zobrist believes we're a minute to midnight, 11:59, and something must be done, quick.
The movie has a strong start with Langdon in a hypnotic haze, visions of death, plague, and people with their heads turned backward. Sienna helps him escape a would be assassin, and their journey together gets more intense as they unravel Dante's clues behind an impending plague. Langdon struggling with his memory, whereabouts, and why he is even in Florence successfully adds to the stories suspense.
I simply had an overwhelming problem with the strategy the villains uses to unleash this plague. If Zobrist truly believed what he believed to the point of death, then why didn't he just unleash the plague? If he was so desperate, why the chase?
Also, I wish the plot focused entirely on Langdon and Sienna. There's a couple of scenes mixed in with the action showing Harry Sims and his work colleague discussing their involvement with the plot, and giving some background information. These scenes were unnecessary and stifled plot pace and mystery. The moment Harry finds himself in the main plot is where his character should have been introduced with a couple of sentences explaining who he is and what he knows. Instead I was confused with his first scene, wanting to get back to the action.
If you're a fan of the series give Inferno a try, if not don't waste your time.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, disturbing images, some language, thematic elements and brief sensuality.
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