While The Da Vinci Code started up what looked to be a successful franchise, there appears to have been a legitimate level of deterioration when it comes to fanfare and general buzz. That happens with even the most beloved trilogies, but has received movies with drastically reduced budgets for each of its sequels. Inferno represents not only the third film in this series, but also the biggest drop in budget. That could lead you to believe that you’re in for an awful movie, but I happen to think that you might be wrong in your way of thinking.
Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, the world renowned symbologist who awakens in an Italian hospital with a severe case of amnesia and a bad headache. He doesn’t know how he got there, but with the help of a young doctor named Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), he hopes to recover his memories and find out why he was on the track to uncovering the greatest secrets of Dante.
At the start of this globe-trotting adventure, the creators handle the project as if it’s going to be a generic movie that takes very few risks and is being geared toward kids. After some time, the movie moves along and flows in a direction that allows it to change its tone. Once this takes place, what was essentially a picture that’s borderline PG morphs into something that’s borderline rated R. Of course, the restrictions on the amount of blood being shown prevents that from actually happening.
It’s rare to see a film change like this one does in that sense. Thinking about it, this meshes with the approach taken in handling the forces that oppose our protagonist in Inferno as well. I won’t get into specifics, but the style that’s being implemented here keeps your attention in a way that constantly introduces new aspects of the film. The way that this aspect is utilized, you never completely know who is who or why they want what they want until it’s time for it to be revealed. This turns out to be one of the film’s greatest features and assists in making it enjoyable.
With these important aspects of the film constantly shifting and evolving, it’s easy to see how Ron Howard and his team of filmmakers hope to keep audiences engaged. Inferno is not your typical movie filled with the usual qualities associated with excellent storytelling, but it uses its style to do what it needs to do in order to entertain and provide value. For that reason, it’s better than it probably should be. I guess you can see that as good or bad depending on who you are.
Ultimately, I was mildly surprised by Inferno. The structure and tone that it takes on are interesting enough to get a positive reaction from many in the general public. It’s not the kind of movie that even the most ardent fans will hold in the highest esteem, but this makes it worth recommending those of you who are looking for a movie that wants to satisfy it viewers with their desire to have some fun. With some movies, that’s all you’re really hoping for.
Rating: PG-13
Director: Ron Howard
Cast:
Tom Hanks
Felicity Jones
Irrfan Khan
Omar Sy
Ben Foster
Sidse Babett Knudsen
Film Length: 121 minutes
Release Date: October 28, 2016
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
- Score - 7/107/10
