Sunday, October 16, 2016

Movie Review … Inferno

Since the ‘DaVinci Code’ became a publishing phenomenon in 2003, Dan Brown’s books have been best-sellers.  Writer of commercially enticing action thrillers, Brown has amassed a fortune in a short space of time.  The third film of his Robert Langdon series, ‘Inferno’ again sees Tom Hanks return as the central character.  Wisely ignoring the previous Langdon book, the poorly written ‘The Lost Symbol’, the producers of ‘Inferno’ have crafted a classic adventure sure to intrigue fans.

Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is having a bad day. Waking up in a hospital bed in Florence with no memory of the previous few days, his life quickly unravels.  Encountering Dr. Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), he discovers their lives are in grave peril.  Thrown into a manhunt with him as the target, Langdon has to solve how his dilemma occurred.  He also has to uncover a mystery of global proportions with life and death literally hanging in the balance.

Directed by Ron Howard, ‘Inferno’ is a solid thriller.  When in ‘block-buster mode’, Howard knows how to craft suspenseful sequences, of which there are plenty.  He is effectively aided by Hanks who delivers a typically reliable performance.  Both know the franchise well and ensure the story’s momentum is kept until the exciting finale.  The rest of the cast capably enhance the script which follows the source novel closely.  Fans of Brown’s work won’t find much to complain about with his historical attention to detail intact.

Making ‘Inferno’ a delight are the visuals.  Flitting from Florence to Venice, the European locations are gorgeous to view.  This increases the threat level Langdon faces and the urgency in which he needs to stop the looming horror.  Each new scenery is well used and not just there for eye-candy.  Unlike several third films in a series, ‘Inferno’ doesn’t feel laboured, with Howard ensuring audiences are given enough bang for their dollars.

It isn’t churlish to say ‘Inferno’ delivers what you expect.  A globe-trotting adventure is what’s advertised and that’s exactly what you receive.  It wouldn’t be remiss to wish for a fourth instalment as long as it’s as strongly realised as this intriguing instalment of a strong cinematic series.


Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.


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