Big spoilers for the movie in here, in the US its the 1st October release, but we already got it in Europe.
- Very fan service-y, sometimes too much. In particular, Junior doing the line about Tony never being a varsity athlete.
- I think as a big fan of the original series, a non fan would find it close to incomprehensible, since the movie assumes you already know a lot of these characters and the history already.
- The stuff about the Newark riots and the obvious racism displayed by all the characters and the authorities was great, and I wish it had been given more screen time. Ditto the gang war, which didn't feel like it got as much as screen time as it deserved.
- Ray Liotta playing two characters who look very similar is also related to this. Obviously it harkens back to the Philly/Patsy Parisi thing, but it was kinda confusing.
- Michael Gandolfini isn't in the film as much as some of the trailers suggested, but he's very good when he is. Very much invoking his father without ever feeling like he was trying to copy it since of course, Tony in the 1960s/70s was a very different person. The real star when it comes to invoking James Gandolfini without feeling like imitation was Alessandro Nivola, as in it was easy to see where adult Tony had picked up a lot of stuff and manners from him.
- Dickie Moltisanti is in general a great character, and does feel very much like a predecessor to the Tony soprano of the tv series we know, self pitying, trying to do good deeds to make up for his being a vicious psychopath, and just enough self awareness to be aware of it, but not enough to do anything proper about it.
- Michela De Rossi is very good. A strong, tragic character trapped in a world where she's still forced to be subservient while the men can behave how they like.
- In the same vein, a lot of good characters, with the biggest weak link being the guy playing Silvio, which felt like an imitation. Mattea Conforti was a great Janice, even though it wasn't a huge role.
- Not 100% convinced Jon Berthnal was the right choice for Johnny Boy, but Corey Stoll kills it as Junior. Really brings across that feeling of kind resentment at what an absolute boob Junior is, second best uncle, second in the family, perennial joke.
- At first I wasn't sure I liked the ending that Junior was responsible for the death for Dickie, but it makes a lot of sense in hindsight, and fits with his character.
- Vera Farmiga as Livia was great as well. A lot more vulnerable than the Livia we meet in the 1990s, but still just as emotionally damaged and fucked up.
- There's a scene that was shown on the tv series that they've completely redone, which I liked less. It wasn't a huge deal and probably made more sense overall but it just felt weird to do.
- Very fan service-y, sometimes too much. In particular, Junior doing the line about Tony never being a varsity athlete.
- I think as a big fan of the original series, a non fan would find it close to incomprehensible, since the movie assumes you already know a lot of these characters and the history already.
- The stuff about the Newark riots and the obvious racism displayed by all the characters and the authorities was great, and I wish it had been given more screen time. Ditto the gang war, which didn't feel like it got as much as screen time as it deserved.
- Ray Liotta playing two characters who look very similar is also related to this. Obviously it harkens back to the Philly/Patsy Parisi thing, but it was kinda confusing.
- Michael Gandolfini isn't in the film as much as some of the trailers suggested, but he's very good when he is. Very much invoking his father without ever feeling like he was trying to copy it since of course, Tony in the 1960s/70s was a very different person. The real star when it comes to invoking James Gandolfini without feeling like imitation was Alessandro Nivola, as in it was easy to see where adult Tony had picked up a lot of stuff and manners from him.
- Dickie Moltisanti is in general a great character, and does feel very much like a predecessor to the Tony soprano of the tv series we know, self pitying, trying to do good deeds to make up for his being a vicious psychopath, and just enough self awareness to be aware of it, but not enough to do anything proper about it.
- Michela De Rossi is very good. A strong, tragic character trapped in a world where she's still forced to be subservient while the men can behave how they like.
- In the same vein, a lot of good characters, with the biggest weak link being the guy playing Silvio, which felt like an imitation. Mattea Conforti was a great Janice, even though it wasn't a huge role.
- Not 100% convinced Jon Berthnal was the right choice for Johnny Boy, but Corey Stoll kills it as Junior. Really brings across that feeling of kind resentment at what an absolute boob Junior is, second best uncle, second in the family, perennial joke.
- At first I wasn't sure I liked the ending that Junior was responsible for the death for Dickie, but it makes a lot of sense in hindsight, and fits with his character.
- Vera Farmiga as Livia was great as well. A lot more vulnerable than the Livia we meet in the 1990s, but still just as emotionally damaged and fucked up.
- There's a scene that was shown on the tv series that they've completely redone, which I liked less. It wasn't a huge deal and probably made more sense overall but it just felt weird to do.
