Conclave is the kind of movie that you kind of just have to see to appreciate. This is based on a book of the same name, which I will admit, I had no idea was a thing until the movie. I managed to go to an early screening of this at my local theatre and I was blown away by what I saw. It is the kind of movie that when I came out, I looked straight at my watch as the time had just flown by as I was so invested in the story and the characters.
How to Download Conclave
Conclave was released on 25 October 2024. You can expect to be able to download or stream the film from Peacock in about 45 days from this date. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
You know when you watch a movie and you just know that it is an “Oscars” movie that at the very least is going to get a ton of nominations? That is what I felt while watching Conclave. I see no way that Ralph Fiennes will not be up for the best actor role, Edward Berger won’t be up for best director and the movie itself won’t be up for best picture. I am sure it will be nominated for several other awards too!
A Story of Mystery and Intrigue
The story of Conclave is one that you are better off not knowing a great deal about before you watch it. The Pope has died and Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is leading the group who will select the next Pope. As you would expect, this is a decision that is not going to be taken lightly.
Four Candidates and a World of Secrets
They have four main candidates to pick from. Bellini, Adeyemi, Tremblay and Tedesco. In addition to the four main candidates, there is another man, Benitez who was a close confidant to the previous Pope and he plays a vital part in the story. The acting in this movie is spectacular and the cast including the likes of Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rosellini, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellito, Lucian Msamati, and Carlos Diehz are all amazing. This is a movie where every performance counts and every actor delivers an amazing performance.
A Challenging Path to Choosing a New Pope
What would usually already be a difficult process is made even more challenging for Cardinal Lawrence and his team. You see, as he learns more about these people who are candidates to be the new Pope, many skeletons in many closets start to come out! It makes for some thrilling and exciting stuff and you never know what will be revealed next.
Stunning Visuals and an Immersive Score
The thing with a movie like Conclave is that it is so easy to focus on just the acting and the story, to be fair these are the most important parts of any movie. However, Conclave also looks and sounds amazing as well, the score is just perfect for every scene and I am not sure exactly where they filmed this, but it looks like they rented the actual Vatican for a couple of months to make the movie.
Final Thoughts: A Must-See Film with Box Office Challenges
While I loved this movie, I am a bit worried for it, I have no doubt that this will be a critical smash hit. However, I do have worries about how it will fair at the global box office. It was released at the end of the summer in the USA, but in many other territories, this is coming out in between movies like Moana 2, Wicked, Sonic 3, and Mufasa! I just think that movie theatres may have a hard time dedicating many screens to Conclave. With that being said, I highly encourage you to make the effort to go and see this at your local theatre, trust me, you will not be disappointed.
