Inferno

Greetings, Inferno is a 2016 film directed by Ron Howard and is the latest instalment in the Robert Langdon series. It is based on Dan Brown’s 2013 novel of the same name and the movie is a sequel to the 2006 film ‘The Da Vinci Code’ as well as 2009’s Angels and Demons. At the time of writing, the lead character in all of the films, Robert Langdon, has been the central figure in four books that share the same title with their filmic counterparts. The third novel, called the Lost Symbol, had originally been intended to be adapted into a film however the producers decided to choose the fourth book Inferno instead. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Professor Robert Langdon, an important figure in the field of religious iconology and symbology. Felicity Jones, best known for her upcoming role in Star Wars: Rogue One, plays Dr Sienna Brooks who gets caught up in a conspiracy surrounding Langdon. Ben Foster portrays Bertrand Zobrist, a scientist who aims to solve the issue of human overpopulation through extreme measures and callous techniques.

The plot begins with Bertrand Zobrist running from unknown assailants in the streets of Italy. The pursuit ends in his suicide as he jumps from a tall structure in a desperate attempt to flee his potential captors. Meanwhile, a dazed and confused Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital. The first person he comes into contact with is Dr Brooks, who is treating him for a bullet wound located on his head. Langdon is haunted by horrific and apocalyptic images in his dreams but is unable to recall the events of the previous few days due to his amnesia. It isn’t long before an assassin, imitating a female police officer, makes her way to the hospital in an attempt to kill Robert. The assassin known as Vayentha begins to shoot at Dr Brooks as the contract killer walks down the corridor. This gives Sienna time to lock the door and help the delirious Langdon outside of the hospital as the assassin struggles to break down the barriers Brooks set in her way.

Robert, still unclear as to what he had gotten himself into, is offered shelter in Sienna’s apartment. The two come across the first clue which was hidden in Langdon’s belongings. A small projector reveals a modified version of Italian painter Sandro Botticelli’s map of Hell which is displayed across the wall of Sienna’s apartment once activated. It is soon revealed that Zobrist, obsessed with humanity’s survival and Italian poet Dante, had created a virus named ‘Inferno’ intent on culling the world’s population. As Sienna and Robert break the first clue and learn where to inspect next for further clues, they are chased by their assassin. The World Health Organisation, which is aware of the existence of the virus, also attempt to capture Langdon for reasons that are not initially clear to the audience.

I have read or watched some of Dan Brown’s works but my experiences are somewhat limited as I have only read Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress, the latter of which is unrelated to the Langdon series. I also have another standalone novel entitled Deception Point but haven’t gotten around to reading it at the moment. I have also seen the Angels and Demons film starring Ewan McGregor but have yet to watch the Da Vinci Code. In regards to the Inferno film, I found some of the plot points to be a little confusing and this was exacerbated with the film not really explaining who certain characters were. This caused issues when it was clear they were meant to already have relationships with other characters but these were never really explored in the film. As far as I am aware, the book and the movie differed in quite a lot of plot points as well as the relations between various characters. Hans Zimmer, one of the industry’s most famous figures, conducts the score for Inferno as he had done for the previous two movies. Overall, I believe that it is a watchable film but in the end I preferred Angels and Demons over the third instalment.

Plot=6/10

Characters=7/10

Special Effects=6/10

Overall=7/10

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