The Godfather Part II

Watched The Godfather Part II, and am mystified as to why it’s often held up as the equal of its predecessor, even its better. I wasn’t nearly so impressed. The first has a very definite story, power struggles between the Five Families and their effects on the Corleone family, but the second is this sprawling, messy, unfocused story of what happens next, with trips to Cuba, various betrayals, marital strife and a whole list of Italian and Jewish names to remember only for them to end up mattering far less than promised. It was nice having the flashbacks to young Vito, but they were only a bit of colour rather than a compelling story in and of themselves (and I’m glad I watched the VHS version – with subtitles!). A meandering story and an unsatisfactory ending make this far inferior to its very complete and well-realised predecessor. Undoubtedly a beautifully-made and superbly-acted film, but certainly over-rated, in my opinion.