Let me start off this review by saying I'm a big fan of The Sopranos, it is easily one of my most rewatched shows of all time!
So when I first heard they were making a prequel I was a little skeptical. Even with David Chase on board I was nervous that this film could potentially tarnish the series legacy.
However once the first trailer dropped, seeing Dickie Moltisanti running his crew, Micheal Gandolfini stepping into his fathers shoes and hearing that iconic theme song all my fears disappeared!
Once I see the actual film though it was not entirely what I expected, and that is not necessarily a good or bad point.
Let me start off with some of things I loved; The casting in this film is outstanding, not only do all the actors manage to capture the younger versions of themselves so well, they convey everything down to their mannerisms with ease ( Young Tony being expertly played by James' son Micheal is a real emotional highlight).
This film also contains much of the witty dialogue and dark humour the show was known for, this especially being the case whenever we see the young Silvio, Paulie and Pussy.
Finally if you are a sopranos fan, there is plenty of references to enjoy and a few secrets revealed that will most definitely surprise. The film also gives more insight into why characters are the way they are in the show, and just put a massive smile seeing these characters we know so well given more backstory.
This is where I start going into the possible negatives of the film however; I do feel that if you are not a soprano fan / or never seen the show, you will not get as much out of this as a fan would. It is a good crime / gangster film, but most definitely made better if you know of the characters and history prior.
My other main 'complaint' is the pacing / length of the film. At times certain story beats feel quite rushed especially after an extended first act laying the foundation for the rest of the film. To be honest I just wanted more, especially by the time the credits roll ( which I suppose isn't a bad thing).
It must of been quite hard by David Chase to adapt from a 13 hour season to a two hour movie, however both he and Alan Taylor have done a great job with the runtime.
All in all I really enjoyed The Many Saints of Newark, if anything I just want to see more of this era in the Sopranos universe, which in turn completely squashed my worries from the beginning!
Here's hoping this isn't the end of Tony's Saga!
So when I first heard they were making a prequel I was a little skeptical. Even with David Chase on board I was nervous that this film could potentially tarnish the series legacy.
However once the first trailer dropped, seeing Dickie Moltisanti running his crew, Micheal Gandolfini stepping into his fathers shoes and hearing that iconic theme song all my fears disappeared!
Once I see the actual film though it was not entirely what I expected, and that is not necessarily a good or bad point.
Let me start off with some of things I loved; The casting in this film is outstanding, not only do all the actors manage to capture the younger versions of themselves so well, they convey everything down to their mannerisms with ease ( Young Tony being expertly played by James' son Micheal is a real emotional highlight).
This film also contains much of the witty dialogue and dark humour the show was known for, this especially being the case whenever we see the young Silvio, Paulie and Pussy.
Finally if you are a sopranos fan, there is plenty of references to enjoy and a few secrets revealed that will most definitely surprise. The film also gives more insight into why characters are the way they are in the show, and just put a massive smile seeing these characters we know so well given more backstory.
This is where I start going into the possible negatives of the film however; I do feel that if you are not a soprano fan / or never seen the show, you will not get as much out of this as a fan would. It is a good crime / gangster film, but most definitely made better if you know of the characters and history prior.
My other main 'complaint' is the pacing / length of the film. At times certain story beats feel quite rushed especially after an extended first act laying the foundation for the rest of the film. To be honest I just wanted more, especially by the time the credits roll ( which I suppose isn't a bad thing).
It must of been quite hard by David Chase to adapt from a 13 hour season to a two hour movie, however both he and Alan Taylor have done a great job with the runtime.
All in all I really enjoyed The Many Saints of Newark, if anything I just want to see more of this era in the Sopranos universe, which in turn completely squashed my worries from the beginning!
Here's hoping this isn't the end of Tony's Saga!