They say the third film is always the worst and this is certainly the case with Ron Howard’s Inferno.
When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks, and together they must race across Europe against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.
Tom Hanks, as always is brilliant - his performance as Robert Langdon is what made earlier installments DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons so brilliant. Ben Foster is subtly mad as one of the antagonists, Felicity Jones is good, but due to poor writing her character is never given real motivations. There is a major twist that involves her character, but it feels so wildly sudden that there’s no time to process. Her hair also changes frequently - but the film is set within 12hrs, it was noticeable and perturbed me greatly.
This was always the most unusual of Dan Brown’s books and while I enjoyed the book this film adaptation was lacklustre and felt overly generic. However, in the dream sequences Ron Howard demonstrated his ability to make a post-apocalyptic of fantasy film. I think his directorial style would suit a more fantastical series and I hope he doesn’t attempt to make The Lost Symbol.
Overall good acting doesn’t help this poorly written, generic thriller. It doesn’t live up to the hype or the quality of the book.
2 Stars
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening courtesy of Palace Nova cinemas
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