What critics thought of The Sopranos prequel
Still from Warner Bros.’ “The Many Saints of Newark.”
Warner Bros.
Who made Tony Soprano? That’s the question that “The Many Saints of Newark” aims to answer over the course of its two-hour run time.
However, those expecting a story about a boy’s rise to the top of North Jersey’s most powerful criminal organization may find themselves disappointed. Tony, portrayed by the late James Gandolfini’s son Michael, plays a minor role in the film. Instead, it’s Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), Tony’s mobster uncle that is at the center of “Many Saints.”
The feature film prequel to the award-winning and beloved HBO series “The Sopranos” opens in a graveyard. As the camera pans up to the headstone of Christopher Moltisanti, audiences hear the voice of actor Michael Imperioli, who played the character for six seasons. He narrates the film from beyond the grave.
Fans of the show will know Christopher was whacked by Tony in the final season. As narrator, he tells the story of his father Dickie, his grandfather “Hollywood Dick” and his grandfather’s young Italian bride Giuseppina during a time period that spans the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Dickie struggles to manage his professional and personal responsibilities — namely running a criminal enterprise while juggling romantic entanglements with his father’s new wife. He’s also facing the betrayal of Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.), his one-time muscle who is radicalized by the Newark riots of 1967 and decides the Italians shouldn’t have complete control of the city.
“The Many Saints of Newark” — written by David Chase, the original show’s creator and showrunner — captures the spirit of its source material, but fails to live up to its roots, critics say.
“Maybe it was inevitable that the greatest TV show in history should spawn a feature-length prequel that is somehow disappointing: it is watchable but weirdly obtuse with a tricksy narrative reveal that doesn’t add much,” wrote Peter Bradshaw in his review of the film for The Guardian.
The film currently holds a 77% “Fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes from 61 reviews.
Here’s what critics thought of “The Many Saints of Newark” ahead of its release in theaters and on HBO Max Friday:
A.A. Dowd, AV Club
“Those jonesing for a Corleonesque rise to power will be disappointed to learn that Tony plays a rather minor role in ‘The Many Saints Of Newark,'” wrote A.A. Dowd in his review of the film for AV Club. “In fact, for a solid hour, he’s basically Jake Lloyd-sized: a boy watching from the sidelines of a criminal empire in late 1960s Jersey.”
His mention of Jake Lloyd is a reference to the first Star Wars prequel “The Phantom Menace,” in which a child actor played a major franchise character (in that case, Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader) and spent much of the film observing other characters with little agency of his own.
Many of the things that made “The Sopranos” a breakout hit are missing from “The Many Saints of Newark,” Dowd said.
“Where’s the prickly…
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