This was a really disappointing prequel. Creator David Chase returns to the Soprano's storyline like a baseball player to an old timers game. The story is very disjointed. Michael Gandolfini gives it a gallent try as young Tony Soprano, but has none of the menance or gravitas that his father, James had. In fact, one does not even see any seeds of the man he would become. The actors portraying the rest of the Soprano's gang in their youth look like a bunch of actors doing impressions. The story, itself, is highly uneven. And I have no idea why the Ray Liotta character was even in this movie since he did very little to advance the narrative.
The Many Saints of Newark will leave you very disappointed and longing for the original series. I am giving it two stars, and being generous at that.