“The Many Saints of Newark” didn’t even come close to meeting my expectations.
The highly-anticipated “Sopranos” prequel dropped this past Friday on HBO Max, and I couldn’t have been more excited to give it a watch. (REVIEW: ‘Westworld’ Season 3 Ends With The Possible Deaths Of Multiple Characters)
Well, it was pretty much a dud.
Now, I want to be clear about this. If we get several more films with Michael Gandolfini (the son of James Gandolfini) as young Tony, then this movie might look much better in hindsight as a building block.
However, if this is all we get, then “The Many Saints of Newark” was not good. I won’t spoil the ending, but literally nothing major happens when it comes to Tony’s rise.
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In fact, Tony Soprano is absent from large chunks of the movie. Michael Gandolfini did a great job as young Tony, but got a fraction of the screen time he should have.
As for Dickie Moltisanti’s storyline, it’s interesting and fun. However, the prequel wasn’t pitched as being mostly about Dickie.
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It was marketed as being about Tony’s rise along with Dickie’s story. We get a lot of the latter and not much of the former.
All the way around, it feels like “The Many Saints of Newark” was a flop. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll reconsider my stand if some more prequels come out.
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However, as of right now, I’ve not been left feeling satisfied!