Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Young Pope Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 27, 2017

The Young Pope begins with such an odd, even staggering, array of surreal imagery that some viewers may feel they’ve wandered into Twin Peaks rather than Vatican City. In what instantaneously seemed to me (rightly or wrongly) as a bizarre reference to abortion, a baby crawls over a pile of discarded dolls, a pile which more or less gives birth to one Lenny Belardo (Jude Law), who, it is quickly revealed, is the new Pope in town, though a series of “dreams within dreams” initially casts at least a little doubt as to whether Lenny has actually been appointed to the job or is simply imagining that he has been. Belardo has in fact “won” the papacy, courtesy of a scheming College of Cardinals which feels the young American will be (as one character calls him) a “telegenic puppet” who can be easily manipulated into doing the Cardinals’ will. The Young Pope attempts to invest the hallowed halls of Catholicism with some of the same intrigue that has made politically infused series like Game of Thrones and House of Cards such “must see” phenomena, but perhaps because it trafficks in content that is so meaningful to believers, it may come off as positively blasphemous to some, a proclivity the series seems to be aware of and which it also seems to be intent on actually exploiting at times. This tendency begins with the aforementioned interlocking dream sequences which open the series in a near hallucinatory manner, with Belardo, now having assumed the name Pius XIII, addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, evidently displaying some supernatural powers by having the torrential rain stop, replaced by glowing sunshine. But the Pope’s “homily” is not exactly comforting, instead exhorting the crowds to take up supposedly forbidden activities like masturbation. It’s a deliberate fake out, of course, but the upshot is that many devout viewers will already be thrown for a loop, a loop which admittedly is folded back on itself once The Young Pope reveals that Pius XIII is not a liberal activist like real life Pope Francis, but is instead an almost reactionary conservative, one intent on (to mix religious metaphors) making the mountain (meaning Catholics) come to Mohammed (meaning the Pope), rather than vice versa.

The “palace intrigue” playing out in The Young Pope may strike some, both believers and non believers, as potentially interesting, and some of the backstage shenanigans at play are admittedly compelling, if also somewhat disturbing. Pius XIII had been raised in an orphanage, where he was more or less parented by a now aged nun named Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), who has now arrived to be Pius’ personal secretary. Pius has a number of nemeses at the Vatican, though of course they’re all extremely deferential sorts (at least to his face). These include the machinating Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando), who arranged for Pius’ election in the hopes he could control the pontiff. Also plotting from the sidelines is Cardinal Spencer (James Cromwell), Pius’ erstwhile mentor who had hoped to be appointed to the “big kahuna” role himself.

Some of the plotlines in The Young Pope are at the least on the unseemly side, if not downright smarmy, including an attempt to get Pius into a sexual relationship so that he can be blackmailed. In fact, blackmail is all over the place in The Young Pope, with the pontiff himself engaging in behavior that would probably send any lesser individual scurrying to the confessional booth. But the series repeatedly gets into just outright bizarre elements that are often visually sumptuous but which seem to be inserted for no particular reason. When there’s a scene with the pope and a kangaroo, again some people may feel like they’re witnessing some unheralded David Lynch fantasy, and that little people and/or errant FBI agents are about to have some very special appearances in Vatican City.

Some of the more outré content of The Young Pope might be more understandable, or at least relatable, if the series’ tone were more apparent. The show is played resolutely too seriously for it to ever resonate as an ultra black comedy (something some of its plot conceits could arguably be aiming for), but its melodramatic aspects are sometimes so odd and hyperbolic that they almost invite laughter, however unintentionally. I actually know some folks who consider Monty Python's Life of Brian to be absolutely heretical, when I consider it to be one of the smartest religiously themed films ever made, but The Young Pope trades the Pythons’ snark and verbal acuity for the sort of soap operatic tirades that are more accustomed to being seen on broadcast televison during the daytime. The series has opulent production values and some fine performances, but after making it through a labyrinth of morally questionable characters running rampant in The Young Pope (including the pontiff himself), some may wish that the College of Cardinals hadn’t been quite so fast with that iconic puff of white smoke.

The Young Pope Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Young Pope is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The IMDb lists the Red Epic as the camera used for the series, and perhaps more saliently states that the show was caputred at 5K and then finished at a 4K DI, something that may account for the generally superb detail levels. This is an unusually "cinematic" series, with lots of swooping crane shots, impeccably appointed sets and costumes, as well as that aforementioned tendency toward the surreal at times, and all of that adds up to a consistently enjoyable viewing experience, even when actual content can be questionable. There is a tendency to bathe scenes in deep ambers, browns and sepia tones, something that can marginally deplete fine detail levels at times. But in good lighting, fine detail is often exceptional, offering precise looks at elements like the fine ribbing adorning the wide brimmed hat Pius XIII wears, or even the wrinkles on Sister Mary's face. What appear to be green screened or at least computer manipulated imagery can occasionally look slightly soft when compared to the bulk of the presentation. Brightness and contrast are also pushed on occasion, leading to whites that (intentionally) traipse right up to the edge of blooming.

The Young Pope Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Young Pope features a surprisingly boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one that gets consistent energy from a variety of source cues (some which would hardly be considered traditionally "papal"), as well as good attention to placement of ambient environmental sounds when the series ventures outside. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly, and there's some nice variation of ambient reverb effects when scenes take place in some of the cavernous interiors of the papal residence.

The Young Pope Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Inside the Episodes 1 & 2 (1080p; 3:20) is a very brief EPK containing short interviews and snippets from the show.

Disc Two

• Inside the Episodes offer more short EPKs:

  Inside the Episodes 3 & 4 (1080p; 3:26)

  Inside the Episodes 5 & 6 (1080p; 2:41)

Disc Three

• Inside the Episodes offer more short EPKs:

  Inside the Episodes 7 & 8 (1080p; 2:37)

  Inside the Episodes 9 & 10 (1080p; 2:18)

• An Invitation to the Set (1080p; 3:07) is another short EPK which includes some brief comments from Jude Law.


• The Making of The Young Pope (1080p; 11:26) is a bit more in depth than some of the other supplements, and includes some good behind the scenes footage.

Note: Many of the supplements include interview subjects who speak in italian, with English subtitles.

The Young Pope Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At times I found myself wishing that The Young Pope would simply go for the same kind of gonzo gusto that Monty Python did in The Life of Brian, since it seems evident that creator and writer-director Paolo Sorrentini wants to skewer some religious sensibilities in the same way the Pythons did back in the day. But instead of dealing in outright comedy (some may find some unintentional laughs here, as mentioned above), The Young Pope instead seems to prefer melodrama, and some of the plot points of the story may push the envelope of more sincere believers. The series is often riveting in spite of itself, and those who like beautiful sets and costumes will find much to enchant the eye, even if the mind tends to stray at times. Technical merits are first rate for those considering a purchase.