[quote=“Keeve, post:59, topic:951611, full:true”]
I think the main problem was it was too much of a Sopranos movie. There was no need to cram in younger versions of every single character. It just caused confusion as to who everyone was supposed to be and most were a waste. Did we really need to see Carmela just standing there?
I watched it last night. It was… fine.
I watched “The Sopranos” during its original run and have not re-watched it. So it’s not exactly fresh in my mind. Had I seen it more recently I suppose I would have recognized more of the Easter eggs. But the show was definitely one that sticks with you, even 14 years later, so I don’t think I needed much catching up to follow the events of the movie.
The common thread, more so than the actual characters, was the theme of the bad guy wanting to be a better person but not really knowing how. Thing is, James Gandolfini as Tony pulled that off a lot better than Alessandro Nicola as Dickie. I get the feeling I was supposed to feel sorry for - or perhaps pity - Dickie after he drowned Giuseppina. But I couldn’t muster that; he was such a reprehensible character that his attempts at “good deeds” just kind of fell flat.
Contrast that scene with Tony killing Christopher. You could really feel his conflict, his remorse over what he felt he had to do even as he was doing it. A very powerful and profoundly sad moment. Dickie was mostly just pure rage.
Of course we had six seasons to explore Tony’s character and only 2 hours with Dickie, so there’s that.
And I guess we should have expected some loose ends. What happened to the guy in the pine barrens? Did Silvio ever come out of his coma? Similarly, Harold’s story was left unfinished. Kind of a David Chase trademark I guess. But, boy, I’d like to see what happens next. I wonder if there’s a sequel or series in the works.
If you’ve read this far into the thread, you’ve surely seen the movie, so you don’t need me to recommend it or not. But I would tell people: if you enjoyed the Sopranos, it’s worth your time, but don’t expect it to blow your mind or anything. A quality HBO movie that I’m glad I didn’t have to plunk down the cost of a theater ticket for.
It’s a complicated situation to be sure, but Tony didn’t seem to have much conflict or remorse over killing Christopher, in my opinion. If you ever watch that scene again, check out the cold stare Tony has as he’s doing it. In that moment, he feels nothing. If the dream he has later where he tells Melfi what he did is a look into Tony’s true feelings, then he is, as he admits in the dream, relieved over what he’s done.
Maybe you’re right. I guess what I mean to say is that if Chase was trying to draw a parallel between Tony and Dickie regarding their inner struggles, he was more successful with Tony.
Tony always felt like a redeemable character, even when he did terrible things. Dickie, not so much.
Of course, that could also have something to do with the older eyes through which I see the characters now.