Inferno

I was disappointed by it less than by the book, during which I just shook my head disbelievingly and yawned. The script improved the silly story a bit, but the main stupidity, unfortunately, remained - it can't be said that the film is bad because it has a brisk pace and at the end everything essentially works together (unless you think about it more than necessary), and both Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones are fine. Only Hans Zimmer didn't do anything extra this time and if I didn't know that the music was composed by him again, it wouldn't have occurred to me (compared to the perfect The Da Vinci Code and especially Angels and Demons). I think Ron Howard should have done The Lost Symbol... Or preferably film something completely different. (02/24/2019)

Ron Howard diligently pushes grand shots even where the viewer wouldn't expect them, and strives to make us forget about how formulaic the whole series feels. The supporting characters unnecessarily dilute the attention, and Felicity Jones' lukewarm performance doesn't help either. But what's even sadder is that even after a long break from Angels and Demons, it's clear that the screenplay is just trying to pick out the better ingredients from that and from The Da Vinci Code without adding anything new. Despite Tom Hanks' still surprisingly vibrant performance, my score remains below average, and I remain confused by this mishmash until this day. (07/23/2018)

It’s without a proper conspiracy subplot that would make news website readers' libidos harden, but with the futile plot of a nickel-and-dime thriller, with Howard making Langdon into Bourne and the viewer, even in the back row, an asshole who needs to see flashbacks 5-7 times. The exceptional stupidity is underlined by the fact that it takes itself seriously to the last symbol. If this were a lone wolf, not a member of a trilogy, I'd consider it decent sabotage from Howard. (10/13/2016)

Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, and Dan Brown shows that more than anything else, he excels at research. However, in Mr. Howard's rendition, it's all kind of the same, and in this case, I wasn't even interested in the mystery itself, which is usually the cornerstone of Brown's books. The horror moments and illusions are great, and Tom Hanks is again great, but that's about it. (10/17/2016)

Those who have read the book will likely be very disappointed. The search for a (non)treasure feels too simple. The book is, of course, more extensive in terms of discovering hidden ciphers and explaining their nature. It also goes much deeper in the portrayal of the characters – the fact that Langdon is rescued by a doctor who happens to have similar knowledge to him and immediately figures out everything as he does is very cheesy. The deciphering of the codes is too fast and overall it seems almost secondary, but this should be the main essence of the film, it's probably what the audience enjoys the most. Here you have no choice but to nod and say “okay, if you say so”. On the other hand, I understand that not everything can fit in a film. As an action movie it's not bad, but for one completely unnecessary extra romantic line and the ending, I'm going down one star. (10/13/2016)