A Second Serving of Greatness

Rating: 9/10 (23 June 2018)

The Godfather: Part II is just as good as the original. Alternating between the current story of Michael Corleone and his crime enterprise and the roots of the family business, a young Vito Corleone in Italy, the audience is treated to a second-helping of an already fantastic story. Viewers get to see more history behind the beloved characters, while at the same time, the story continues to develop. Michael continues to expand the Corleone family business while faced with betrayal, inner-family conflict, and legal trouble.
The Godfather II continues the themes portrayed in the first film in the series. Loyalty, devotion to family, and defending the down-trodden remain essential to the story and characters, and as before, these features are displayed against a backdrop of vigilantism. There is a duality with helping those in need and putting your family first, while at the same time, using evil or illegal methods against others. The Godfather II walks the line between these opposing ideals perfectly.
Anyone who enjoyed the first film will most likely enjoy the second just as much. It is simply more of a good thing. The running time may be long for some viewers, but the movie is good enough that you'll barely notice.