"Part 2" is its own masterpiece, but more so a perfect extension of the original

Rating: 10/10 (22 June 2008)

The most brilliant thing about "The Godfather: Part II" is that Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola has seamlessly extended the original, and when I say seamless, I mean that Coppola has created a sequel that looks and feels like the original and actually makes the first film better. If I could, I would go back and change my rating of "The Godfather" to an 11 and make this a 10. With the exception of the Lord of the Rings films (and even that series didn't win two best pictures), no sequel can say that it strengthens the original film and that's why "Part II" is so good.
At an epic 200 minutes long yet rarely boring, "Part II" tells not only the story of Don Michael Corleone (Pacino) as he takes over the family, but simultaneously tells the background of Don Vito Corleone (DeNiro) who was played by Brando in the original. To the modern viewer, DeNiro feels like a gimmick, but this was his first prestigious role and he is quite convincing as a younger version of Brando's performance. Leading man Pacino is incredibly commanding yet again as Michael as this time we see the weight of being Don grow heavier and heavier on his shoulders. As usual, it's too difficult to explain the "business" plot of the film, which has plenty of double-crossings and twists that the pervasive feeling of paranoia that is so ingrained in the original continues quite masterfully in this film.
The acting talent is across the board so good that you have to give casting team and Coppola some of that credit. This film had three best supporting actor nominees at the Oscar's for goodness sake. If the Golden Globes that year had the best ensemble category, this film would have won it hands down. My personal favorite is Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen. I would trust him with my life too.
Everything about this film is so well done (especially the set design for New York, Italy, Cuba, etc) that it's hard to notice sometimes because you're so drawn in to the plot and following it. Coppola makes you think something tragic can happen at any second and when it does, it always delivers. The ending sequence is something that directors have stolen left and right when trying to make their ending just as powerful. While "The Godfather" has more memorable scenes and dialogue, this film is a masterpiece in its own right despite not having as much glitz as the original.
Of course, in terms of themes, "The Godfather: Part II" continues to address the original's themes in new and meaningful ways. The themes of what family truly is and means get expanded upon and become so complex as seen through Michael's relationship with his wife and brother Fredo. The back-in-time plot arch with Vito sheds additional light on the "Michael" part of the film as well. All of it just makes "Part II" a rock-solid classic.