The first reviews for The Many Saints of Newark are pouring in from critics ahead of its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Based on the initial reactions, it looks like fans of HBO's The Sopranos should be satisfied.
Based on David Chase's iconic HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, the upcoming HBO Max prequel film will explore the early days of a young Tony Soprano, played by Michael Gandolfini, the son of the late James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of the mob boss turned him into an even bigger star. After being delayed roughly a year from its initial September 2020 release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the highly anticipated film is almost here, and its first reviews should have plenty of fans excited for what's to come.
Although Chase's attachment to The Many Saints of Newark generated a lot of excitement, there was some question regarding whether or not the prequel's director, Alan Taylor, would be able to build off of the success of The Sopranos. Taylor, who worked on several episodes of Game of Thrones as a director, fell short of expectations with films such as Thor: The Dark World and Terminator: Genisys (both receiving mixed-to-poor reviews). But judging by these first reviews for The Many Saints of Newark, it seems that Taylor's assured direction will have the director back on track.
The Many Saints of Newark is receiving generally favorable reviews from critics, with many believing the prequel is a worthy addition to this universe and features some standout performances from Michael Gandolfini and Alessandro Nivola. The film is currently fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a current score of 79% based on 29 reviews and has a score of 66 from 15 reviews on Metacritic. More initial reactions are below.
Scotsman (Alistair Harkness)
"This isn't some nostalgic cash-grab designed to squeeze money out of a groundbreaking TV show; it's a richly textured work in its own right that makes full use of its status as a movie to tell Tony Soprano's origins story in a creatively interesting way."
Score: 4/5
Times (UK) (Kevin Maher)
"...played this time by Gandolfini’s 22-year-old son, Michael, in a deeply soulful sad-eyed turn that fills this so-called origins story, set in the 1960s and 1970s, with crushing levels of authenticity. But it’s not that movie either. It’s not Cruella goes to Jersey. It’s so much better."
Score: 5/5
London Evening Standard (Charlotte O'Sullivan)
"Casually important, traumatically enjoyable, The Many Saints of Newark is a tale of the unexpected that will cause cineastes, as well as life-long couch potatoes, to cry hallelujah."
Score: 5/5
Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)
"Watchable but weirdly obtuse with a tricksy narrative reveal that doesn't add much."
Score: 3/5
Entertainment Weekly (Leah Greenblatt)
"Saints can't be what Sopranos was - without the time or the ones who've been lost to tell it, fuggedaboutit. But for a hundred-something minutes, it feels close enough to coming home again."
Score: B+
Even though the positives should outweigh the negatives, the main criticism towards The Many Saints of Newark is that it may try to cram in too much story within a couple of hours that perhaps would've been better suited for a 10-part series. Another complaint is that the film may not have enough reasoning for why it needed to be made, but cast members like Jon Bernthal seem to disagree, believing the Sopranos prequel film stands on its own from the series and has much more to offer than just a simple backstory. Bernthal, who plays Tony's father Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano, claimed in a recent interview that people going in shouldn't expect an exact replica of The Sopranos, but rather something more.
Aside from Tony's backstory, The Many Saints of Newark will center on the 1967 Newark riots and the racial tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities, while also delving into characters who were briefly mentioned in the series. The film also stars Leslie Odom Jr. as Harold McBrayer, Corey Stoll as Corrado "Junior" Soprano Jr., Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano, and Ray Liotta as Aldo "Hollywood Dick'' Moltisanti.
The Many Saints of Newark will be released in theatres and on HBO MAX on October 1st, 2021.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic