Conclave

Pretty wild film, definitely was worth watching in theaters

Enjoyed it. Truly captivating. So many twists and turns. Very dark. A Catholic thriller.

Entertaining and very watchable. Ralph Fiennes pulls off a demanding role with consummate ease. More like a Who-done-it than a religious film. Recommended.

Upon the pope’s death, cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) by virtue of position as dean, forms a conclave where cardinals are sequestered in the Vatican City, free from outside influence and submerged in secrecy to vote for a new pope. Ralph Fiennes succeeds in evoking a reluctant, worried but determined manager, a shepherd herding a flock of considerably, some of the most powerful men in the world. These men whisper and subtly malign their contemporaries’ chances of getting voted into the papacy. On top of this, cardinal Lawrence deals with a crisis of faith, initially resolved not to listen to matters about backgrounds that may describe a candidate as unworthy, but his own morality defies this rule – learning of past scandals and leading to revelations and disqualifications. On the other hand, this leads to him also becoming a suitable candidate by his peers, earning votes he claims he does not desire, earning both judgement and support. The film hints on the ongoing symptoms of institutions that abuse power and tolerates prejudice, championed by those who lead them. And some of this are embedded in laws that entail breaking to do what is right. The cardinals are framed not as caricatures of agendas but people of converging and contrasting beliefs. There are also no purely antagonistic forces but merely the clash of views leading to conflict. Far into the film, the audience is reminded of the power and influence this group of people hold as a bomb tears a hole into the church ceilings, fortunately failing to injure the cardinals. By the end, after a joust of words, the final voting sets a winner, with a twist reveal that tiptoes close to fiction yet not entirely impossible. Depending on audience belief, we are left to play out the remainder of the outcome, but are as relieved as cardinal Lawrence that the conclave is over.

Superb story combined with detailed characters and a healthy dose of suspense. Represented the Catholic church and various philosophical themes to a tee. Would most definitely recommend.

It's pretty alright… Ralph Fiennes is as good as ever, as a functionary with conflicted ambitions, and the supporting cast are solid as well. The plot is "fine", as is the script. The best thing about it, IMHO, is the alternation between brash Catholic music, and silence - it's a good tool to manage pace.

I enjoyed this movie a fair amount, up until near the end, where it went off the rails a bit in a silly fashion. some good solid engaging acting. And although totally fictional its still cool to imagine what goes on in that mysterious pope house, with all those cardinals fannying about. worth a watch

Great movie and great thriller! It should have won best picture over Anora.

I'm in shock that so many people liked this movie. Even though the first 2/3 of the movie are fine, the ending is so ludicrous that it completely ruined it for me.

I'm knocking half a star of this for the add on twist ending. A semi Pope Joan surprise. The story was doing splendidly up until then. Superb story, cast and direction. That the movie ends like a rasping all but flaccid balloon speaks volumes about this singular avoidable failure. It's a 2D moment in an otherwise 3D film. I would also add the post bombing rant of Tedesco to the 2D catalogue....although I can understand its requirement to allow the election to end. Given the subject matter, forget calling it a 2D moment, it is the perfect Deus Ex Machina moment; maybe our Lord himself dipping a finger. Superb film otherwise.