Inferno

Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, 

Omar Sy, Irrfan Khan, Sidse Babett Knudsen

"His greatest Challenge.
Humanity's last Hope."

I read Dan Brown's novel "Inferno" when it first came out and even though the details are a bit sketchy, I still remember the main premise. A Dante obsessed billionaire named Bertrand Zobrist overly concerned about the growing population plans a biological attack that is guaranteed to claim many casualties to achieve his insane quest to protect and save the planet's dwindling resources. 

I also remember that Robert Langdon wakes up with amnesia in a hospital in Florence then travels with a perfect stranger, a certain Dr. Sienna Brooks all over the world finding clues to prevent this horrific attack. The book was very details oriented with numerous colorful characters, symbolical/ historical references and set in exotic locales. I was curious if they could successfully translate this engrossing novel into a worthy film. 

Tom Hanks reprises his role as symbologist/professor Robert Langdon and as usual he can really do no wrong even if he was presented with a really lame script. The film suffered from editing problems as most, if not all of the vital materials from the book were turned into a confused mixture of short yet fast paced sequences which lost its coherence. 

It had Professor Langdon and Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) literally running all over the world looking for clues which no one could relate to. I also found Felicity Jones's thick British accent quite distracting, I don't know why it bothered me so much. 

Most of the supporting cast played one dimensional characters, not properly fleshed out, so you have a tendency to forget their names. The exotic locales all molded together like clay, barely giving you enough time to admire the beautiful scenery and its symbolic relevance in the grand scheme of the lunatic billionaire.

Tom Hanks had barely enough material to work on in "Sully" and still gave a heartfelt performance which really says a lot about his thespian skills. On the other hand, "Inferno" had an overload of materials to absorb that having amnesia would be a welcome relief.

I liked the novel but this Ron Howard directed movie adaptation was quite a disappointment! Perhaps it is time that Tom Hanks hang up Langdon's Mickey Mouse wristwatch for good. He should think twice before he revives the symbologist for Dan Brown's 4th novel The Lost Symbol or demand a much better and well crafted script, next time.