Cónclave

Conclave is a fine movie with excellent performances by all the actors involved. The ending of the film was telegraphed early on, so there was not so much of a surprise by the final selection of the next Pope. However, the final twist seemed unnecessary. There did not seem to be a sufficient build-up to it, that made it feel like a genuine twist, but was more of an add-on. Beyond that, the drama between all the main candidates was compelling, though I thought the conservative Italian was more of a caricature for them to use as a foil, rather than a standout on his own. There are some interesting visuals and uses of color that I did not expect. I'm sure this will be an Oscar contender, but I'm not sure it has the depth to actually win anything.

I just got back from the theater after seeing "Conclave," a film I was extremely excited for and liked a lot. For most of the movie I was so captivated by the gorgeous cinematography, fantastic performances, great score, and quality costume and production design, that I was convinced this must be a 10/10 movie. But then, unfortunately, the ending arrived.

I believe that the ending to a film is the most important part. What will you leave the audience with? What is your final statement to them? Well, in this movie, it's so contrived, confusing, and absurd that any final statement becomes muddled, and I left the theater with a bad taste in my mouth. The ending is so unrealistic that it threatens to destroy every frame of what came before. It is done purely to make a statement about the church and to shock the audience. Now, this doesn't ruin the movie as a whole (not to me, anyway), but it does unfortunately mar an otherwise superb film.

And now...a film for adults.

Based on Robert Harris' 2016 novel, CONCLAVE takes the viewers inside the Vatican during the College of Cardinals' process of selecting the new Pope...filled with Political in-fighting, twists, turns and surprises galore.

And...if the average age of the folks in the Movie Theater I attended a showing is any indication..."Grown-Ups" are flocking to this film.

As Directed by Edward Berger (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT), CONCLAVE moves along sprightly, unraveling a mystery - not a "whodunnit" but rather a "who's gonna get it" - and it gets surprisingly tense.

This is thanks, in part, to the fine, fine actors that have been cast in this film. Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort in the HARRY POTTER films) anchors the events as the "Dean" of Cardinals who is tasked with leading the disparate group of Cardinals to a consensus pick of the next Pope. He acts as much as a Detective as a Facilitator as he battles his own conscious of faith...and ambition...all while uncovering schemes and plots of some of the "humble servants" vying for the top job.

Ably assisting is John Lithgow, Isabella Rosellini and quite a few others (mostly unknown) who battle for the "pole position" in the race to be the next Pope. Special notice should be made to GREAT Stanley Tucci for his supporting turn as one of the contenders who's platform seems to be "I don't want this" but who, underneath, really, really wants it.

Don't be surprised if both Fiennes and Tucci (as well as Director Berger) are mentioned come Oscar nomination time (they are that good).

As stated above, this film has twists and turns galore and it is a fun ride to roll with these turns, but if I am being honest, I felt that this film went "one twist too far" and should have/could have ended 10 minutes before it ended (without the one last twist). Now, some would say that this final twist is the point of the film, but...I would have been fine without that point being made.

You be the judge...and join other "adults" in the movie theater.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)

So many reviews are blaming Hollywood and thinking this movie is somehow pointing fingers at Pope Francis. It isn't. It is a movie based on a book of the same name written by Robert Harris. The book was released in 2016, way before the pope got sick. It just so happens that the current events coincide with the recent release of the movie to stream on Prime. People's emotions are heightened because of the death of Pope Francis and are forgetting this is just a work of fiction. One review says the movie should have some respect as the pope has just died! Please remember the movie was first released in the Telluride Film Festival in August 2024!

This is a political thriller. With a bit of tweaking this sort of vaguely labyrinthine plotting goes on wherever there is a quest for power and control.

The main actors - Fiennes, Tucci, Lithgow, Rossellini and Msamati, deliver powerful performances, and the film is worth seeing for these alone.

The script is well written, although cliched in some parts, but does provide tension, momentum and intrigue.

The settings equally play their part and, given the scale, add gravitas and authenticity, not just a backdrop.

Having said all of that, and without giving away anything away, the ending felt added on, and didn't properly integrate with the rest of the film. Whilst the message was well intentioned, to an extent, it undermined the build up in the rest of the film - it felt simplistic and a la mode - unnecessarily. A pity, because if as much attention had been given to this part of the film as the rest, it would have been a better film.