Conclave (7.0/10)
I mainly looked at this movie as an inside view of what actually goes on during the election of the new pope as the only real thing I know about it is that a bunch of cardinals come togheter in vatican city to choose the new pope and if they got to a consensus there is white smoke and if they don't there is black smoke.
The movie was actually made very well visually and it was the first one I saw from Director Edward Berger. The acting and the main role of Ralph Fiennes was cast very well, but I always have somewhat of an issue when actors that played in an iconic Tv Show appear in movies as they tend to take me completely out of it. This was the case when seeing John Litgow who is the old guy from 3rd Rock From The Sun. I rememer feeling the same thing when I first saw him in Interstellar but also here it rather quickly faded away again.
Movie Plot (Spoiler Free):
"When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a web of conspiracies and intrigue that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church."
There isn't that much to this movie when it comes down to the actual story which I would say is a good thing as it helped to keep it rather realistic. What it comes down to is that many of these old guys who all want to become the new pope get power hungry and try to make the vote go their way in some dirty ways. Something about this movie made me kind of feel like I was watching "12 Angry Men" with some good guys trying to get to the best and most fair outcome which is actually a good thing.
The story when it comes down to it is fairly thin but it gave a nice twist which I liked. For those who don't want to watch it but want to know what happens in just a couple sentences...
!So the pope dies and there is a conclave to choose the new one, one of the cardinals attending is one nobody heard of before. There is somewhat of a battle between different favorites and some because of things of the past that get dragged into it get eliminated. There is something of a vocal argument at some point at which the new guy peaks up with a speach that makes everyone vote for him so he gets to become pope. However, it turns out that he's actually born a women which is held quiet to the public after which the movie ends.
Conclusion
There are quite some things I actually liked about this movie and the fact that nothing spectacular or unrealistic happens is one of it. I also liked an early speech of the main character who was indicating that doubt is needed in order to have faith. I learned something watching this one of how the actual voting process works but I missed debates about who it should become as it mainly were just always silent votes until there was a consensus. At some point it be became instantly predictable who the new pope would be voted but there was a nice twist afterward which made the movie better. Overall I enjoyed watching it which I didn't expect while I also wasn't blown away. A Solid 7.0/10 and the fact that it's about recent news events certainly helped. If there ever is a time to watch this one it is now.
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