THE team behind The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated ANGELS AND DEMONS (12A), based on another bestselling novel by Dan Brown and again involving murder, mystery and religious symbols. Tom Hanks is back as Harvard religious iconography exp

THE team behind The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated ANGELS AND DEMONS (12A), based on another bestselling novel by Dan Brown and again involving murder, mystery and religious symbols.

Tom Hanks is back as Harvard religious iconography expert Robert Langdon, and Ron Howard directs.

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organisation in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of its most despised enemy, the Catholic Church.

He jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist.

Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival.

Hanks says: "Langdon enters into Angels and Demons with an icy relationship vis-�-vis the Vatican because of the events of The Da Vinci Code.

"He has a great knowledge of the church's rituals and history, but he is not necessarily a welcome person.

"Essentially, there is a grab for power at the Vatican in the guise of the hijacking of the papal election and, in spite of his history with the church, Langdon is called in to try to prevent it."

And director Howard adds: "What's so great about a Robert Langdon adventure is that it stimulates so much curiosity and research.

"You read the book or see the movie, then you go to the library or on the internet - you want to understand Bernini, Galileo, their relationships with the Vatican, with the art world, with science, and the mystery of the Illuminati.

"Whether you believe it or not, it's fascinating stuff, and in Dan Brown's fertile imagination, it leads to a spellbinding set of clues and a great mystery."

And while The Da Vinci Code introduced most of us to Opus Dei for the first time, the new film brings us another shadowy group.

Some conspiracy theorists say that the Illuminati still exist - and many articles, videos and other stories about them abound on the internet.

Among the theories posted on the web are stories that suggest the Illuminati control world events, hold high and powerful offices, and are creating a New World Order to replace individual governments with an autonomous world government.