Some segments of the book (written in 2000) talk of how the election of a pope is treated as a "story" most people don't care about without many news cameras around. At one point, a reporter is seen before a green screen-effect shot of the Vatican to show how the modern world thinks the concept of the Pope isn't that important. Five years later, the election of Benedict XVI was an internationally watched event covered by every news station on the planet with massive discussion of its importance to the world.
One scene depicts two geeks at CERN talking about the Illuminati, with one saying, "I thought it was just a game!", and replying after being told the Illuminati killed the Pope, "I wonder how many points you get for that!" While the book implies (inaccurately) that they are referring to Illuminati: New World Order, more recent readers could be thinking of Assassin's Creed II.
Home Grown Hero: The entire series can be summed up as 'an American scholar runs around Europe and uncovers Ancient Conspiracies left and right'.
Film
Magnificent Bastard: Patrick McKenna is the Camerlengo of the Vatican who plans to become Pope to renew the world's faith in Catholicism and discredit the works of science. To this end, McKenna murders Pope Pius XVI and hires an assassin to steal unstable anti-matter and kidnap four cardinals to brand and kill while making it appear as if The Illuminati has resurfaced and is committing these acts. McKenna then kills the assassin once he served his purpose and frames Ritcher for his crimes, manipulating the police into killing him. McKenna then takes the anti-matter and sends it up into the sky, saving the people of the Vatican City and Rome. When the Vatican discovers his plot and confronts McKenna, he kills himself, leading to the Vatican covering up his crimes so that the public won't lose their renewed faith, letting the world believe that McKenna died a hero of the Catholic Church.
The fates of the preferiti: branded and killed in extremely messed up ways inspired by the classical elements
The first preferiti gets buried up to his waist and is revealed to have dirt stuffed down his throat. And to add insult to injury, some rats are chewing on his face.
The third preferiti's death by fire. The cardinal is still alive and screaming when found and the attempts to free him only drop him closer to the fire.
So Bad, It's Good: While Mark Kermode hated the film, he found the climax so laughably ridiculous that it became this, going so far as to compare it to Exorcist II: The Heretic in terms of being "intergalactically stupid".
Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Gets treated as the sequel to The Da Vinci Code, is considered to be a better movie overall. Compared to the first film higher stakes are involved, much better pacing and more action. The supporting cast in general was much more relevant to the plot and has a stronger, more clearly defined villain.
Say what you will about the story, but everyone can agree that the ambigrams used for "Earth," "Air," "Fire," "Water," and "Illuminati" (as well as the Illuminati Diamond) are cool as all hell.
Also the full blown amazing sky view of the antimatter exploding in the sky and leaving a mixture of beautiful blue and red clouds, as if a sign from Heaven itself. Granted it it's mediated by the fact it was orchestrated, but it still doesn't deter from the amazement.
