Review of The Godfather Part II (1974) by Tom B — 17 Jul 2016

A film that I don't quite understand the hype behind. Not only do I feel that the first Godfather film is better, I think that it's superior in every way. Having read the book, I feel that Vito's journey to becoming The Godfather should have been the sole focus of this film as the only scenes that really drew me in and kept me interested were Robert De Niro's masterful strides as a younger, less weary Don Vito Corleone.

I wasn't interested in Michael's story in this film and felt that Pacino wasn't able to carry it with the same fraught excellence with which Brando did in its predecessor. I didn't feel like the pacing was as good, either, despite being the same length as the first film I was very disengaged with the plot and bored for two thirds of the film, this wasn't the case with the first Godfather.

Not a bad film by any stretch, but not the masterpiece it's hailed as, I was thoroughly disappointed as the first film set the bar so high, I'd take Goodfellas over this every day of the week.