Table of Contents
Preamble
I think the first time I heard about the papal conclave was Dan Brown’s mystery-thriller novel Angels & Demons. I read a lot of Dan Brown’s novels as a kid – Deception Point, Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, and of course The Da Vinci Code. Personally I always liked Angels & Demons best which is why I was super disappointed in the absolutely terrible movie adaptation of it that came out in 2009.
The movie Conclave (2024) is also based on a book by the same name which I have not read. I don’t plan on reading the book so I will never know if the book is better than the movie or not. I don’t think it is the kind of book I want to read nowadays.
Let’s get into the movie.
The Movie
Going into this I had heard a lot of good things. Conclave (2024) is one of the 2025 Oscar nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year and I also heard generally positive things about the movie on social media. Reading the plot synopsis suggested a political drama in the vein of House of Cards.
Drama is exactly what we got. Everything about this movie is very dramatic. The way the cardinals interact with each other during the conclave. Gossiping, backbiting, schemes to bring an opponent down – this is a political drama through and through.
I enjoyed the cinematography in this movie, how certain moments were framed and how lighting was used, for example in the scenes in the movie theater where the cardinals are talking to each other.
As far as criticisms go, I found the movie’s very centrist message of “choose the lesser of two evils” just very tiresome considering the kind of political climate we currently inhabit. I just don’t think the movie’s political messaging is as evocative or interesting as it seems to think. Overall, I think the movie is fine. It somewhat satisfies my craving for a House of Cards like political drama. However the rather simplistic good vs. evil narrative mixed with a centrist’s view on politics makes the movie one that doesn’t go past “its fine” for me.
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