Question : What should you get if you add equal measures of a Nicholas Cage'y Treasure Hunt and a Bourne'd tale of amnesia and hallucination to an already campy here ,frivolous now narrative that is a Dan Brown - Tom Hanks - Ron Howard affair? Answer: A raging hell that is Inferno but well in this case, one that is neither as hot nor shines as brightly. And therein lies the rub - Inferno is a film that is less than the sum of its constituent parts. For while some of the parts - screenplay, back ground score, cinematography - work very well, others such as direction, storytelling and even some performances don't quite pull their weight.

Tthe overall lack of novelty can rankle many a fan of the genre.

Which means that writing a review for a movie such as Inferno doesn't necessitate a watching of it - for the most part it sticks to template and its viewing is purely incidental. And while there are only so many tropes that can be designed and tricks that can be pulled, the overall lack of novelty can rankle many a fan of the genre.

The one thing Inferno did for me - and is likely to do for you - is make you pine for Florence in all its Il Duomo and Davidesque resplendence and magnificence. The background score by Hans Zimmer is both reminiscent of the charm of the chase in the earlier two flicks in the series as also accounting for the intrigue in the present installment.

Elsewhere, for a book that is a size of a tome, coming up with a screenplay that has (a) coherence and cohesiveness, (b) running length of 2 hours and (c) stays true to the source material in letter, spirit and essence is both remarkable and in the end, partly redeeming.

Irrfan Khan, after what are ostensibly starting problems, is in fine fettle in the second half - seemingly having the most fun of em' all, whilst also staying refreshingly semi-serious. That too in a movie and amongst performances that otherwise take themselves too seriously, considering the material at hand.

In sum, Inferno is not a spectacularly bad movie but its just that it isn't a terribly good one either. For a review that started with an existential question, ending with a practical one would be fitting, yes?

So, should you watch it? Well, given the overall Italian flavour in the air, it would be shame not to invoke Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray and Love and its most celebrated cult phrase - especially given how well it channels the response here: Attraversiamo - 'lets cross over'.

Inferno is not a spectacularly bad movie but its just that it isn't a terribly good one either.

Watch it if you must, give it a miss if you ain't up for shlock this weekend.

This review is by guest reviewer Yogesh Parmar. People lover. Founder - The game changers. behavioral scientist. cinema tragic. storyteller. performance arts aficionado. Yogesh Parmar also blogs at http://www.thegamechangers.co.in/.