After its recent premiere at the Venice Film Festival, we have compiled some of the first critical reactions to Angelina Jolie’s latest collaboration with director Pablo Larrain, Maria, a biopic drama featuring the leading lady as Maria Callas, one of the most prominent and influential opera singers of the 20th century. The film explores Callas’ final years during the 1970s when she was staying in Paris.
‘Maria’ received a rapturous eight-minute standing ovation at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. Jolie started crying after watching the viewers’ response at the premiere. However, the post-premiere reactions to the film seem more muted.
Many publications and entertainment platforms have unanimously praised Jolie for her mesmerising take on Maria Callas. According to Vogue, the Maleficent actress has delivered the best performance of her entire career in this one. Variety also shares Vogue’s sentiment and believes that Jolie could even bag an Oscar for her flawless portrayal of Maria Callas.
‘Maria’ marks the final outing of Larrain’s trilogy of 20th century “iconic women”, after Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). Both Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart, who starred in Jackie and Spencer respectively, received Oscar nominations for their performances. Jolie can also earn a nomination for Best Actress at the 97th Academy Awards next year.
While Angelina Jolie captivates the audience with her splendid performance, the rest of ‘Maria’ falters. Critics have pointed out that the film is not as strong and impactful as Jackie and Spencer. In other words, Jolie seems to be the only one who does all the heavy lifting. The film appears visually stunning but lacks depth. It focuses too heavily on Callas’ relationship with Aristotle Onassis, neglecting her significant musical accomplishments. While the performances are strong, the narrative feels overly reverential and lacks the emotional resonance expected from a biographical drama.
On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Maria’ stands with a ‘fresh’ 71% critic score based on 35 reviews. Check out some of the first reactions to the latest Angeline Jolie starrer right here!
Despite Angelina Jolie’s star presence as opera legend Maria Callas, Pablo Larraín’s ‘Maria’ falls flat.
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 29, 2024
Read @rilaws’s full review: https://t.co/5St2Li1z9q pic.twitter.com/N5CA1wBWUv
Pablo Larrain’s MARIA is captivating. The atmosphere will grab you because Angelina Jolie will envelop you with her performance, probably one of the roles of her life. She’s so brutal that you will be moved in her wake. Larraín’s precision, aesthetics and elegance is masterful. pic.twitter.com/bSJfsGcErS
— Jairo Jiménez (@jairojimenez_) August 29, 2024
‘Maria’ Review: Pablo Larraín’s Saccharine Biopic Starring Angelina Jolie Does Maria Callas A Disservice [Venice] https://t.co/Iy7GFjjNCg pic.twitter.com/GnigQvPSPu
— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) August 29, 2024
Similar in style and tone to Jackie and Spencer, Pablo Larraín once again weaves a beautiful yet tragic portrait of a complex female protagonist with Maria. Featuring a career-best performance from Angelina Jolie, Maria is a film that you can expect to hear a lot about during the… pic.twitter.com/Kf6a1YLk3r
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) August 29, 2024
Just finished watching Pablo Larrain’s #Maria where, after years, we see Angelina Jolie in a lead dramatic role that showcases her raw vulnerability. The most “straight forward” biopic of Larrain’s so far. The film’s score captivates. Jolie’s headed for Oscar (nod, at least). pic.twitter.com/Zm6WuYYLtU
— Nauval Yazid (@carnauval) August 29, 2024
‘MARIA’
— alex (@dunesmessiah) August 31, 2024
A devastating and intimate character study enveloped into a gentle fever dream. Though it does fall into a few tedious moments, ‘MARIA’ ultimately feels like Larraín’s gift to Angelina Jolie. A testament to her talent that so often was unfairly questioned.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/VflHgOdUdM
Pablo Larraín’s ‘MARIA’ isn’t as strong as his previous biopics, ‘Spencer’ and ‘Jackie’, but Angelina Jolie’s performance as the iconic Maria Callas is worth the watch.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 3, 2024
Find out more in our review...https://t.co/zyOtVBYAMO
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