--- title: "The Young Pope: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-young-pope/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-young-pope" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Young Pope (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 10 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Young Pope, with praise clustering around Jude Law’s performance and Sorrentino’s direction. Law’s pope emerges as calculating, vain and unpredictable, with enough charm to make the menace more unsettling. The reviews also admire the surreal Vatican atmosphere, dark humour and playful treatment of institutional power. Several find serious thought about faith, devotion and loneliness beneath the provocation, rather than simply an exercise in religious mockery. The reservations concern storytelling more often than performance: implausibility, dramatic contrivance and familiar political manoeuvring interrupt the stranger, more rewarding passages. There is broad agreement in favour, though enthusiasm varies over how much the series’ digressions and obscurity repay attention. Collider supplies the lone negative assessment, finding the visual style overworked and the treatment of faith shallow. That dissent challenges what the favourable reviews value most: the sense that Sorrentino’s eccentric approach has substance behind it. ## Variety — Maureen Ryan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2017. The critic finds the series important and subversive, praising its playfulness and profundity, spectacular visuals, and Law's masterful performance. It balances critiques of religious institutions with portraits of spiritual experience, though narrative can be jarring. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/the-young-pope-hbo-jude-law-review-diane-keaton-james-cromewell-sorrentino-1201952916/) ## Radio Times — Tim Glanfield Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2016. The critic praises the series as intriguing and atmospheric, highlighting Jude Law's superb performance as the vain and unpredictable pope. They note the drama's dark humor, controversy, and Sorrentino's creative flair, calling it a journey into an exceptional filmmaker's world. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/jude-law-shines-as-the-young-pope-in-paolo-sorrentinos-intriguing-uncomfortable-and-amusing-drama/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2016. The critic finds the series fantastically anxiety-inducing and praises its surreal elements and layered madness. Jude Law delivers a lacerating performance as the brutally calculating, occasionally charming and terrifying young pope. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/oct/27/jude-law-young-pope-sky-atlantic) ## The Independent — Christoph Hooton Rating 4/5. 27 October 2016. The review highlights Sorrentino's visionary direction and Law's menacing portrayal of an unorthodox, power-hungry pope who subjugates those around him. It compares the tone to House of Cards and notes the eerie, cool atmosphere of the Vatican setting. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-young-pope-sky-atlantic-episode-1-review-jude-law-is-menacing-in-paolo-sorrentino-s-papal-house-a7383426.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Tim Goodman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2017. The critic notes the series' weirdness and humor but highlights its shift to a serious meditation on loneliness and faith. It challenges expectations and offers substantial themes beyond memes, engaging viewers with its unpredictable vision. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/critics-notebook-how-hbos-young-pope-is-fooling-us-all-964674/) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2017. The review praises Jude Law's commanding, irreverent performance as the conservative yet surprising Pope Pius XIII. It highlights Sorrentino's bold, contradictory take on Catholicism and the Vatican's power dynamics. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-young-pope-review-jude-law-hbo-paolo-sorrentino-tv-show-1201767154/) ## Vulture — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2017. The series is described as compelling yet strange, with plausibility issues but strong novelty, Law's charisma, and Sorrentino's playful, digressive style. It notes the show's inscrutability alongside its visual and tonal flair. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/tv-review-the-young-pope.html) ## Paste — Matt Brennan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. The series is a comedy nearly great, with Sorrentino's sly mockery of Vatican ostentation blending awe and scorn in sumptuous, impish images; it shines in tonal slipperiness and the Law/Orlando dynamic but falters into dramatic contrivance. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-young-pope/the-young-pope-is-a-comedy-and-nearly-a-great-one) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2017. The series is a captivating but frustrating bold vision, surreal and stylistically arresting with strong performances; it excels when pondering faith and devotion but falters on familiar political tropes. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/01/hbos-the-young-pope-dont-believe-everything-you-meme/) ## Collider — Chris Cabin Rating ★★. 10 January 2017. The critic finds the series visually overworked and stylistically rigid, lacking depth in exploring faith or the Vatican, ultimately representing the status quo rather than radical change. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-young-pope-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-young-pope.md