Conclave 4K Review (Universal)

Conclave is a 2024 religious thriller produced and directed by Edward Berger (The Terror, Your Honor, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Patrick Melrose). It was written by Peter Straughan (The Goldfinch, Wolf Hall, American Animals, The Snowman, Our Brand is Crisis, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). It’s based on the novel from author Robert Harris. The budget was $20,000,000 and it grossed $98,841,070 worldwide at the box office. Cardinal Lawrence (played by: Ralph Fiennes from Red Dragon, Schindler’s List, The Constant Gardener, Harry Potter franchise, Bond franchise, and In Bruges) is tasked with running this covert investigation process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls to vote for his replacement. The candidates include Bellini (played by: Stanley Tucci from The Lovely Bones, Spotlight, Billy Bathgate, Road to Perdition, The Hunger Games franchise, and Captain America: The First Avenger), Adeyemi (played by: Lucian Msamati from The International, The Good Liar, Gangs of London, and Game of Thrones), Tremblay (played by: John Lithgow from Dexter, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Cliffhanger, Ricochet, The Accountant, and Raising Cain), and Tedesco (played by: Sergio Castellitto from Don’t Move, Dante, Ferrari, and In Treatment). Lawrence ends up uncovering a shocking trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake. All these secrets could destroy the foundations of the Church of they are revealed to the world!!!! Conclave was a nice surprise, I wasn’t expecting it to be this good. It shows the dark side of the church and what happens behind closed doors. Cardinal Lawrence does his private digging into the Pope’s death but he finds out some messed up stuff that makes him question his community. The script is top notch loaded with twists and it’s honestly one of best religious based features that I’ve seen. Ralph Fiennes is excellent as Cardinal Lawrence, he uncovers the deepest and darkest secrets from the church. Stanley Tucci as Bellini is great in this. He’s the candidate that’s similar to the previous Pope. He seems like the obvious first choice. John Lithgow steals the show as Tremblay. He’s a little too ambitious and he is very unpredictable but he’s popular among his peers. The rest of the supporting cast includes Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet), Brían F. O’Byrne (Brotherhood), Jacek Koman (Children of Men), Thomas Loibl (Charité), Rony Kramer (Spiral), and Garrick Hagon (A Bridge Too Far). There’s not a single weak link in Conclave, every performance is on point. Once Conclave fully kicks in, it’s very tense and suspenseful. It’s a really dark subject that you wouldn’t expect from something like this. This one really keeps you on your toes and holds your attention, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Universal Pictures! This 2160p (2.39:1) transfer with HDR10 looks amazing in 4K. It has stylish cinematography, colorful production design, and sharp locations. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the UHD. The audio really puts your set up to the test here especially the score. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH and Spanish subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Edward Berger. He goes into great detail about the shoot for Conclave. He gets technical and goes over some of the more creative shots in this. He chats about the cast, characters, story, the music, and a variety of other things about the production. If you curious to learn more about the behind the scenes, check this out. It has the almost 17 minute “Sequestered: Inside Conclave”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They go over the cast and some of the main characters. They bring up the sets, locations, and costumes from the movie. It’s an interesting inside look into this religious thriller. It comes with a slipcover, a digital code, and a blu ray copy of the home video release. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!