The First One was a Mess, the Second Is No Different

Rating: 2/10 (26 June 2013)

Coming off the disappointment of the first "Godfather," Coppola continues his overrated trilogy with the weak and incoherent Part II. The story outlines the earlier life of Vito Corleone in the early 20s and follows Michael Corleone in the 50s, but does so with very little coherency or flow.
Francis Ford Coppola has shown very limited improvement from the first "Godfather", failing to realize the weaknesses of the first. The dialogue is still lacking authenticity, and the crypto-fascist undertones are still ever present. It doesn't help when any of the actors, in particular Al Pacino and Robert de Niro, fail to deliver any of their lines with any real conviction.
The story is fairly interesting, but the lack of quality in the script is hard to overcome, and especially so in the hands of Coppola, who has proved over and over again that he does not deserve to be in the company of such legendary directors like Paul W.S. Anderson, Michael Bay, and Wych Kaosayananda.
Watching the film, it's obvious the troubles Coppola had in handling the material. There are many inconsistencies in the mood and atmosphere, and he doesn't seem to hold a grasp of the material that was so masterfully outlined by Mario Puzo.
The film hasn't aged well at all, and the boring cinematography highlights that combined with all the weaknesses pointed out in my review. "The Godfather Part II" marginally improves upon the first "Godfather," but still contains many weaknesses that make it hard to enjoy or appreciate.