“Inferno” film disappoints as it fails to live up to its potential

By Blake Laurita

Staff Writer

The screen adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel is a decent action thriller but has the potential to be so much more with a few tweaks.

“Inferno” features a talented cast of supporting characters and a beautiful, dynamic setting that successfully engaged viewers. However, the film suffers from a forgettable soundtrack, a bland lead role and a poor novel adaptation all of which detract from the enjoy ability of the film.

Photos: See Inferno at your local Arclight Theater. 

“Inferno,” adapted from Dan Brown’s novel, takes viewers on an adventure through countries as Robert Langdon combats various government agencies in an attempt to save the world from a deadly plague.

The action movie follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a Harvard Teacher and symbologist, who wakes up in  Florence hospital with a head wound being treated by doctor Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones). The two are chased around Europe by multiple government agencies as they search for the cure to a plague created to wipe out half of the world’s human population.

The film’s strongest aspect is its supporting cast who add immense value to the film. They deliver brilliant performances saving the film from the surprisingly bland lead role.  One such supporting actor, Irrfan Khan, who plays a charismatic and deadly private contractor, commands screen presence, even when delivering the monotonous lines.

Another pleasing aspect of the movie is its outstanding, dynamic setting. For the first half of the film, the characters visit different Italian cities, showcasing many famous landmarks. In the second half, after a major plot twist, Langdon heads to Istanbul to complete the mystery and the audience is then exposed to the country’s beautiful landscape which makes for an excellent addition to the film.

However, Tom Hank’s performance feels rather inadequate when compared to the supporting characters. Most of Hanks’ lines are delivered half-heartedly and written with an absence of creativity. Although Hanks is considered an excellent actor, his performance falls short in this film, whether it be because of his lines, the production, or a combination of the two.

Due to the fact that the movie is adapted from a novel, it did not allow the directors to have full creative freedom. This fact  hinders the film in many ways and while it did stay extremely accurate to the book, it simply did not translate well to the big screen.

View other critic’s review on the film Inferno.

Another weak point of the movie is its boring soundtrack. Most of the forgettable songs fail to make an impact on the film. The underwhelming soundtrack in “Inferno” adds no value to the film and misses a great opportunity to emphasize the film’s most crucial action scenes.

For more information on Inferno click here.

“Inferno” is a complex and unpredictable movie complemented with an award winning supporting cast and a dynamic setting, but it unfortunately succumbs to a disappointing soundtrack and a bland lead role. Unfortunately, its stellar supporting cast and breathtaking settings was not enough to overcome the films weakest aspects.

“Inferno” was released October 28 is rated R, and is playing in theaters across the country.