MANILA, Philippines ? When the movie adaptation of the Dan Brown novel ?The Da Vinci Code? came out in 2006, it received generally negative reviews from critics despite its huge commercial success and hype.

Surprisingly, ?Angels & Demons,? the movie adaptation of another Brown novel of the same title but with relatively less hype, succeeds where the previous film has failed -- transform the novel into a satisfying and thrilling experience onscreen.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to Vatican City to investigate a long-extinct secret society called the Iluminati and its connection with the murder of a respected physicist and the disappearance of the four Preferiti, who are the cardinals considered to be the most likely candidates to succeed the recently deceased Pope.

He also discovers that a powerful bomb capable of leveling most of Rome has been stolen and planted by the Illuminati somewhere within the Vatican to threaten and blackmail its arch-nemesis?the Catholic Church.

Despite pressure from the Camerlengo Father Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor), the closest aide of the Pope, to evacuate Vatican City due to the bomb threat, the papal conclave insists on staying in the city to elect a new Pope.

Meanwhile, Langdon, together with the help of Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), the beautiful Italian partner of the murdered physicist, sets off on a wild hunt through antique cathedrals, perilous catacombs, ancient crypts, and even the most sacred vault in the world, in an attempt to decipher markers and codes which could possibly be the Vatican?s last hope of survival.

Changes

Although the novel is a prequel to ?The Da Vinci Code,? the film is placed as a sequel to the first movie as evidenced by the bad blood between Langdon and the Catholic Church. And as in the novel, ?Angels & Demons? has a far simpler and more streamlined plot compared to the first film.

The movie?s main premises?a ticking time bomb set by the Iluminati; an ancient trail of symbols to follow; and four kidnapped cardinals who will be killed by their captor as each hour passes?are all farfetched yet highly engaging. The various locations throughout Rome are also very impressive even though most of them were shot in a sound studio.

There are also slight differences in the names and characters between the book and the film. The murdered physicist in the film, Silvano Bentivoglio, is named Leonardo Vetra in the book, who is also the adoptive father of Vittoria Vetra.

In the film, the Camerlengo?s name is Patrick, while in the book he is Carlo Ventresca. The film does not correct the very glaring error of Brown in the book: The Camerlengo, as the closest papal aide and the administrator of the Vatican, holds the rank of cardinal and is nowhere as young as the novelist?nor McGregor in the movie?portrays him to be.

Another notable element present in the book but absent in the film is the ticklish detail of the Pope secretly having a son through artificial insemination. This may have been removed due to the controversy it may fuel.

Although there is virtually no time for characterization due to the fast-paced action, Tom Hanks is very convincing and infectious as Langdon. McGregor is also right on the mark in his role as the intellectual and complex Camerlengo.

Age-old war

The film provides insights into the age-old war between science and religion. It presents science as dangerously having the power of creation while at the same time showing the relevance of religion and the power of faith.

The conflict is embodied in the war of wits between Langdon and the Camerlengo: The former represents the objective view of science while the latter portrays the often dogmatic assertiveness of the Church.

?Angels & Demons? is a highly entertaining movie that outshines its parent material. While delving into the ancient secret organizations and conspiracies working to destroy the Catholic Church, it also effectively warns against the demons lurking together with the angels even in the holiest of places such as the Vatican.