Inferno
From author Dan Brown comes the next installment in the adventures of Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), master in symbology, religion, European history, and other oddities. This go round Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital with amnesia to find himself haunted by imagery from Dante’s Inferno, the classic depiction of hell. Stranger yet, Langdon now appears to be a hunted man, wanted by multiple parties; as it turns out, he holds the key to a deadly plot to kill off half the world’s population. Assisted by the semi-unwilling Dr. Brooks (Felicity Jones), Langdon will have to pull himself together in a hurry to save the world from billionaire Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster).
Directed by Ron Howard, this “thriller” treads formulaic patterns that fans of the previous two installments will come to recognize quite quickly; a deflating repeat that lets the air out of the proverbial imagination balloon as the film races towards its climax. Comfortable enough, Hanks and Howard aren’t really stretching their abilities but cinematographer Salvatore Totino continues to keep shot composition and artistry in mind throughout. Score by Hans Zimmer falls into the 20th/21st century minimalism variety relying on repetition of pattern to drive much of the film, not his most exciting or interesting work, but certainly sufficient. Overall, this modern day Indiana Jones is easily forgettable, we’ve learned to expect better from all. Inferno is rated PG-13.