Angels and Demons; Great Movie or Controversial Movie?

The mega movie blockbuster of the month. Angels and Demons, has finally opened in Singapore. The movie did not fail to captivate majority of the audiences with its fresh and unconventional storyline. However, the blockbuster which also revolves around a dark, conflicting and disturbing storyline, has caused a controversy among the catholic community globally. The catholics are coming together to boycott the movie.

As depicted by many sources, the movie that is based on a fictional storybook written by Dan Brown, and has many portrayals that strayed away from the real and original facts of the catholic’s culture and history. The way the storyline is communicated through the movie (script) has offended the Catholics as they perceived the movie as a lack of respect for their culture, and also an intention to stir confusion and conflict among the interest of the Catholic community.

While the group of staunch Catholics (organisation) decided to defend their interest and perspective, other groups of audiences are willing to accept the storyline as they chose (selection) to maintain open minds and take the opportunity to be exposed to a different and unconventional thinking. This is an example to how different people react to things due to the selection they choose, their cognitive schematas and the kind of organisation/environment that they are exposed to.

As much as many may disapprove with the storyline and morals of “Angels and Demons”, one cannot deny that it is a good and successful movie which has managed to communicate and reach out to the audiences. Apart from using the most common way to communicate with audiences by using verbal communications, the director has also made use of many nonverbal communication such as creating Objectifs or artifacts, kinesics and physical appearances to create suspension and to arouse the curiosity of the audiences. At the same time, these unspoken lines also gave inklings to the audiences as to what is happening in the movie. Nonverbal communication which is receiver orientated, often enables audiences to interpret and derive at different conclusions, and hence evokes discussions among. A much discussed movie is usually a well received movie, thus the need for nonverbal communication as I feel it is part of what makes a movie successful. The director and writer of the movie have made use of the tools of communication to make the movie work out well for them.



However, due to the lack of research on the theme that revolves around the Catholics, many have alleged the movie to have defamed the beliefs that the Catholics have upheld. It has caused disapproval and misunderstanding within the community, which then led to a controversy and a boycott among the community. Religion is a sensitive topic and always will be. For the mass to accept such storyline, adequate researches will have to be done in order for people to come together to approve and support the movie.