FAQ for
Angels & Demons (2009) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Angels & Demons can be found here.

Yes. Angels & Demons is a 2000 mystery novel by American writer Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code (2003). The novel was adapted for the movie by screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and subsequently rewritten by David Koepp.

Angels and Demons was written as a prequel to The Da Vinci Code, but it has been filmed as a sequel.

No. Other than two passing references, there are no tie-ins between the two movies.

The official website for Angels & Demons can be found here.

The Pope has died, and every one of the world's 165 cardinals has arrived in Vatican City to begin the conclave, the secret meeting during which the cardinals elect a new Pope. Meanwhile, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) has been summoned to the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, where Silvano Bentivoglio (Carmen Argenziano), one of their leading nuclear physicists, has been murdered, branded across the chest with the word "Illuminati", and the container holding his greatest achievement -- antimatter -- has been stolen. When they learn that the antimatter container, which is set to explode in six hours, is buried somewhere in Vatican City, Langdon and Bentivoglio's research partner, Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), travel to Vatican City in an attempt to find the container. Matters become complicated when they learn that the preferiti, the four candidates for the papacy, have been abducted, and each one is going to be murdered during the four hours preceding the explosion.

The four preferiti (papal candidates) consisted of Cardinal Ebner (Curt Lowens) of Germany, Cardinal Lamassé (Franklin Amobi), Cardinal Guidera (Bob Yerkes) of Spain, and Cardinal Baggia (Marc Fiorini) of Italy. Each Cardinal signifies one of the four elements (earth, wind, fire, and water), and each Cardinal was executed respectively. Cardinal Ebner, the first to be executed, is found buried in the Devil's Hole in the Chigi Chapel in the Church of the Santa Maria del Popolo, once called Capella della Terra (Chapel of the Earth); he was branded with the ambigram of Earth. Cardinal Lamassé is found near a bas relief of 'West Ponente' (west wind) in St Peter's Square; he is branded Air, and his lungs have been pierced. Cardinal Guidera is found hanging over a fire in the Santa Maria della Vittoria Church. Cardinal Baggia is dumped into a fountain in the Piazza Navona and expected to drown, but Robert manages to save him.

They were, once, albeit short-lived. Founded in 1776 in Bavaria (Germany), the Illuminati or Enlightened Ones were a group of intellectuals who got together to freely exchange ideas. The group was forcibly broken up in 1785 by the rulers of Bavaria. According to some sources, former members were absorbed into the Freemason Society, which has led to a number of conspiracy theories claiming that the Illuminati continue to exist. Secret organizations bearing the name Illuminati frequently show up in works of fiction.

After signing off with Vittoria, Bentivoglio left the secured chamber and went into his office. As Vittoria is approaching the security scan, she passes his open office door, scans her eye, finds the blood on her chin, and proceeds into the secured chamber, where she finds his eye lying on the floor. Horrified, she exits the chamber and goes into his office, where she finds his body. Thus, the method used by the assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) was to kill Bentivoglio in his office, cut out his eye, and then use the eye to pass the retinal scan, thus obtaining entrance into the secured chamber in order to steal the antimatter. In fact, the assassin himself can be seen walking in the opposite direction as Vittoria heads down the hall to the secured chamber.

Yes. The position of camerlengo (chamberlain) to the Pope is real, and his position and duties are similar to those depicted in the movie. Upon the death of the Pope, it is the camerlengo's duty to formally declare him dead and to immediately destroy the Ring of the Fisherman. He then notifies the Roman Curia and the College of Cardinals and begins making the preparations for the conclave and the Pope's funeral. As in the movie, the camerlengo acts as the head of Vatican City during the sede vacante (papal vacancy). The unusual thing about camerlegno Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) is that he was a priest; Papal camerlenghi are always Cardinals.

Robert, Vittoria, and the camerlengo locate the antimatter canister in St Peter's Tomb in the Necropolis. When Vittoria tries to change the battery, she realizes how cold it is in the tomb and that the chill may have more quickly depleted the battery such that there may not be the five minutes left in order to change it. The camerlengo grabs the canister, commandeers the helicopter waiting to evacuate the Cardinals, and flies it high over the city where he sets it on autopilot then parachutes out. The bomb goes off fairly harmlessly to the city below. The camerlengo is subsequently hailed as a savior and a "gift" from heaven, and there is talk that he should be named pope by an Acclamation of Adoration. Meanwhile, Vittoria and Robert retire to Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgård)'s office so that Vittoria can retrieve Bentivoglio's journals. As Vittoria lifts the journals from the desk, a computer screen pops up. Wondering whether the key that he took from Richter's hand might fit the computer and whether the computer might hold security recordings, Robert inserts the key, and a recording made in the papal office pops up. The recording is of a conversation between Richter and the camerlengo in which it is made clear that the whole Illuminati threat was cooked up by the camerlengo himself in order to feign an attack on the Church by the Illuminati. The camerlengo turns the fifth brand upon himself and, when the Swiss Guard breaks into the room, he names Richter as an Illuminatus. Richter is shot and killed. Robert shows the recording to Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl). When the camerlengo is summoned to the conclave, he is met with cold stares and subsequently sets himself on fire with oil from one of the 99 holy lamps inside St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican announces that the camerlengo has died from internal injuries suffered during his fall and that three preferiti were killed in the fire at Santa Maria della Vittoria Church. White smoke pours from the chimney, and Cardinal Baggia of Italy is named the new Pope. In the final scenes, Cardinal Strauss (now the new camerlengo) presents Robert with Galileo's Diagramma, asking only that he return it when finished and that he write about the Church gently. Cardinal Baggia bows his head to Robert and, as the new Pope Luke, goes out on his balcony to address the cheering crowd in St Peter's Square.

Since the College of Cardinals is in seclusion during the conclave, the only means of communication is by the color of the smoke that pours forth from the chimney. After each vote, all of the ballots are burned. If the smoke is dark (aided by chemicals), it means that the voting has failed to elect a new Pope. White smoke is a signal that a new Pope has been chosen.

The CERN scientist who gets murdered in the beginning of the film is called Silvano Bentivoglio, who is Vittoria Vetra's colleague only. In the book, his name is Leonardo Vetra, and he is both Vittoria's colleague and adoptive father. The book opens with the murderer branding Vetra with the Illuminati ambigram in the chest.

In the book, there is no scene where the Large Hadron Collider is activated; the antimatter has already been created and stored.

CERN director Maximilian Kohler, a sickly and wheelchair-bound man, is completely absent in the movie. In the book, he is the one who calls Langdon to the CERN complex in Geneva and shows him the dead body with the Illuminati symbol burnt into it. Vittoria later joins them and confesses that she and her father had secretly started to produce antimatter, without Kohler knowing. Kohler eventually goes into a coughing fit and gets hospitalized.

The plane that goes Mach 15 is completely absent in the film. It's the plane that takes Langdon from Harvard University to Geneva, and brings Langdon and Vittoria to Vatican City.

Vittoria wears short pants in the novel which is frowned upon in the Vatican. In the film she wears long pants.

Camerlengo Patrick McKenna is called Carlo Ventresca in the novel, where he is an Italian. Likewise, Cardinal Mortati in the novel is Cardinal Strauss in the movie. Father Simeon appears in the movie but not in the book.

In the book, Olivetti is the head of the Swiss Guard. In the movie, Olivetti is only head of the Vatican Police and much kinder. The character Richter was created especially for the movie, he is the head of the Swiss Guard and acts more like how Olivetti did in the novel.

In the novel, the assassin is Middle Eastern and calls himself 'the descendant of the Hassassin'. In the movie he's European. The Hassassin is an Illuminati believer in the novel. He also has a craving for sex with women. In the movie both of these are absent: he is more of a professional, with strong ethics, only caring about money. In the novel he delivers the threat to the Camerlengo, Olivetti, Vittoria and Robert personally over the phone, announcing the Illuminati's revenge for 'La Purga'.

The Hassassin's contractor's name is Janus in the novel. In the movie, the name is only mentioned once and barely noticeable.

Langdon is alone in the Vatican Archives in the novel when he gets locked in by the power going out. As he has no gun, he breaks the glass by just crashing the bookshelf into it. Robert suspects Captain Rocher, Olivetti's subordinate who is absent from the film, of trying to kill him.

The FIRE death is a little different. In the novel, Olivetti enters the church first. When he does not repond, Robert and Vittoria enter. They find Olivetti with a broken neck. They try to save the cardinal, who is completely naked, but the Hassassin tries to kill Robert, who hides under a sarcophagus and crushes the Hassassin's arm under it. The Hassassin kidnaps Vittoria and leaves, thinking Robert will suffocate under the sarcophagus. Robert is freed just in time by firemen. He steals a car by 'threatening' to shoot the driver to get to the fourth Illuminati altar by himself. In the movie he is escorted by Police Officers.

When arriving alone at the Four Rivers fountain in the novel, Robert notices the Hassassin's van is already parked next to it, waiting for the right time. He enters the fountain on the other side and holds the Hassassin at gunpoint. However, the Hassassin quickly throws cardinal Baggia's naked body into the fountain and gets the jump on Robert. Robert wounds him in the foot, but a fight ensues, in which Robert is held under water. He grabs a water hose and fakes drowning until the Hassassin leaves him for death. Robert tries to revive cardinal Baggia, but does not succeed. He derives the location of the Illuminati church himself from a clue in the fountain (instead of cardinal Baggia telling him as in the movie).

Langdon makes his way to the Castle of Angels alone, only to find out that the door is locked and the wall is too high to climb. He enlists the help of the driver of a nearby newsvan to help him over the wall. Inside, he finds the Hassassin trying to rape Vittoria to celebrate his victory of killing all four Cardinals. Another fight with the Hassassin ensues. Both Vetra and Langdon are the ones who kill the Hassassin by pushing him off the balcony (not a car bomb that is rigged to blow by the Camerlengo).

A complete subplot with two BBC news reporters is completely absent in the film. The Hassassin calls them and informs them of the killings, causing them to broadcast the news of the kidnapped cardinals live over the world. In the book, the Camerlengo orders them inside the Sistine Chapel and allows them to broadcast his statement to the cardinals live to the world. This speech is longer and much more elaborate in the book, and includes a lengthy statement about the church having to "surrender to science", and the sentence "religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed" (said in the movie by Cardinal Strauss at the end).

Maximilian Kohler is the one in the book who finds and reads Vetra's diaries, and then goes out to confront the Camerlengo (not Richter like in the movie). When Robert and Vittoria learn of his arrival, their initial thought is that Kohler is the Illumnati leader. Captain Rocher is the one who knows the truth and therefore allows Kohler into the Camerlengo's office. When Kohler and Rocher (Father Simeon in the movie) are shot down, Kohler had video taped the whole Camerlengo conversation and gives it to Langdon upon death, asking him to "Give it to the media."

The Illuminati Diamond, the final brand iron which combines all four elements into one shape, and which is used on the Camerlengo, is completely absent from the film. The final brand in the movie consists of two key crosses. This image is what provides a clue to Robert as to where the antimatter cannister is hidden (Saint Peter's tomb). However, in the novel, the Camerlengo suddenly receives a vision from God, leading him to Saint Peter's tomb.

In the book, both Langdon and the Camerlengo enter the helicopter with the antimatter. Robert is under the impression that the Camerlengo plans to throw the antimatter out in time so it will explode in mid-air. However, the Camerlengo locks the antimatter into a cargo box and jumps out of the helicopter with a parachute, saying to Robert that "it wasn't supposed to happen this way". Langdon manages to escape the exploding helicopter by grabbing a windshield cover and jumping out. The cover slows his descent just enough for him to survive a big splash into the Tiber river. He is rescued by personnel of a small nearby hospital. There he finds out what was on the video camera he had received from Kohler.

Langdon returns to the Sistine Chapel and shows the video of Kohler and the Camerlengo in the novel to all the Cardinals. The video only has the Camerlengo confessing the murder of Leonardo Vetra; after this, the Camerlengo confesses his anger over the late Pope's decision to stimulate Vetra to go public with his antimatter work, and gives a lengthy justification of all his doings, which include handing the confiscated Illuminati brands to the Hassassin, ordering the deaths of the Preferiti, and murdering the Pope. Cardinal Mortati then reveals that the Camerlengo was, in fact, the late Pope's actual son, through artificial insemination. The Pope had fallen in love with a nun and wanted to keep his vow of celibacy to the Church, so the nun found out about the artificial insemination and they both stayed virgins. The Pope had tried to tell the Camerlengo but he had stormed out angrily after hearing the Pope confess that he had fathered a child. This - coupled alongside everything he has done - is what drives the Camerlengo to suicide. Only in the book, the Camerlengo immolates himself in front of everyone in St. Peter's Square.

Cardinal Mortati (Cardinal Strauss in the film) collects the Camerlengo's ashes in an urn, which he places into the late Pope's tomb. He himself gets elected pope in the novel. It is also revealed that the Camerlengo was actually rightfully elected Pope right before Mortati through the "acclamation by admiration" (mentioned in the movie), for just a few minutes though.

Langdon is given the Illuminati Diamond in the novel at the end by the new pope. Langdon and Vittoria fall for each other and end up having sex with each other. Their love relationship is absent in the movie.

Being released as both Theatrical and Extended version on DVD/Blu-ray, the latter one features a new Cut that runs approx. 7 and a half minutes longer than the original theatrical version. Most of the differences result from new plot scenes that have been reinserted for this version but there are also some scenes showing a bit more violence. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be found here.