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First Reactions To ‘Maria’: Angelina Jolie Gives Her Career-Best Performance

First Reactions To ‘Maria’: Angelina Jolie Gives Her Career-Best Performance

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!

Binged Bureau:
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