Rent The Sopranos on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: David Chase & Lawrence Konner (written by), David Chase (based on characters created by)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Ray Liotta, Michael Gandolfini, Billy Magnussen, Michael Imperioli
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A prequel to The Sopranos (1999-2007) looking at the people that influenced New Jersey gangster Tony Soprano during his formative years.
Verdict
I don't understand the point of this movie. I'm guessing it's a reminder for the original series or just a pet project from creator David Chase. Tony Soprano is only a minor character, and I was thirty minutes in until I saw someone that seemed like the main character. There's just not enough space for everything and everyone in this movie. The movie doesn't have a plot. We see a bunch of people from the series or a bunch of people that died before the series. This would have been better as a series with time to develop characters, but even then it seems unnecessary at best. It meanders for two hours before winking at the audience with a hint of what's to come in the series.
Skip it.
Review
Before watching this I doubted the series needed a sequel or prequel. It's a scenario where even if the movie isn't good, and there's no way it can match the series, there's enough fans of the series that will see it regardless. That's why I'm watching the movie. I really enjoyed the series. It's one of the examples listed as the start of the Golden Age of television and with good reason. I had a feeling this would leave me wanting the original series. A change in format often doesn't work. A series provides a chance to build plot and characters, a movie can't match the series in that respect.
It seems a bit gimmicky to put Gandolfini's son in the movie playing a young Tony. For a movie billed as a look at Tony's formative years, Tony isn't in this much. This movie isn't about Tony, it's about the people around him. We don't see Tony because the actor lacks ability, he was fine. I actually was impressed. This is a gangster movie and Tony isn't one yet so there's no space for him.
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| Michael Gandolfini and Alessandro Nivola play Tony Soprano and Dickie Moltisanti. |
Why does this have a voiceover? Is it just to introduce the characters? Who is doing the voiceover is baffling. The narrator should be nameless, or the movie's writing could carry its own weight.
The time period and an early scene make it seem like this is trying to evoke The Godfather. I feel like a missed a few scenes that would set up the plot. I get this is trying to jump start the movie, but we've seen a lot of people and none them have a plight. The Sopranos has been off for a long time. I need a flowchart for these characters. I spent way too much time comparing people in the movie to who they were/are in the series. I was thirty minutes in and I still wasn't sure where this was going. This is billed as the formative years of Tony Soprano, but it's only set during his formative years. This movie is about Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola). This shows the people that influenced Tony.
I wonder if this was supposed to be a mini-series that was condensed into a two hour movie. There isn't enough time to develop the story or the characters. This movie tries to create impactful moments, but there isn't enough of a foundation for it.
This meanders for two hours until it winks at us with Tony taking the first step to his future as a gangster that unfolds in The Sopranos. The best part of this is that scene, as the theme music from the series begins. Was this created to remind us that the series still exits?
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