THE YOUNG POPE REVIEWED
“The Young Pope” entertains the wild idea of an American being Pope. Pope Pius XIII aka Lenny aka Jude Law aka The Better Watson is the titular Pope who flips the Vatican on its ear. His chief consultant is the nun who raised him, plus he’s on the young side. Being in your 40s is young for people who can recall childhoods fighting the Kaiser and staving off Polio. Before I begin, I want to make sure that everyone knows this wasn’t a comedy. There is humor to be found, but there’s equal amounts of bitter satire and melodrama.
Jude Law plays the Pope like a meaner version of Cate Blanchett’s Queen Elizabeth. Palace intrigue dominates their lives, yet they don’t want to be pushed around by the status quo. When they create change, it’s almost used as a scalpel to cut out unsavory elements. But, that’s the curse of being young and in charge. You’re energetic enough to challenge your enemies, but you’re not experienced enough to understand their motivations. While HBO could’ve squeezed a few extra seasons out of this story, I applaud their effort to compact into a limited series.
10 episodes are all I need in Lenny’s world.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Featurettes
A/V STATS
- 1.78:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track
