This movie must never be deemed a sequel! It carries on the perfection of the first already perfect movie!

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2013)

In many ways, "The Godfather Part II" was the sequel that either matched or topped the original! It had twice the budget, it got nominated for 11 Oscars like the original and it won twice the Oscars with 6 wins: Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (Dean Travoularis, Angelo P. Graham), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola), Best Adapted Screenplay (Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo), Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola) and Best Picture (Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson and Fred Roos). The movie didn't bring in as much money as the original, though. Many people see this as better than the original, and even the best movie of all time. For the time being, I actually prefer this movie over the original. Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, John Gazale and Diane Keaton returned to star, and new actors were brought in, including Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strassberg.
The Godfather Part 2 would carry on the legacy of perfection that The Godfather presented to the world. One of the reasons being is the second spectacular screenplay by Coppola and Puzo! The movie is straightforward, and even though it's a more complicated plot than the first, it's not THAT hard to follow. Many iconic lines are introduced once again, and the idea of making this movie a prequel as well of a follow-up seems unique.
Al Pacino delivers an even more complex and disturbed performance as the now chilling and psychotic Michael Corleone. The Michael Corleone in the original movie was relaxed and could act human, whereas he (in this movie) coldly kills anyone, and I repeat, ANYONE who stands in his way. Pacinos performance is believable all the way, and the relaxed attitude he expresses on-screen, echoes back to the permanently relaxed Michael we saw in the original. He can talk almost robotic and give a cold stare to a man, and explode with rage in the next second, and Pacino sells it. Pacino delivered one of the greatest, if not the greatest villainous performance of all time, and possibly THE greatest performance of all time. Robert De Niro is one of the other stars in the movie! He plays the part of the young Vito Corleone with finesse and a nice calmness, all the while maintaining the virtues that made Brandos's first performance so special. His performance stands as one of the best supporting ones, and he isn't even my favorite supporting character in the movie. Michael V. Gazzo's aging and hot-headed Frankie Pentangeli is a joy to watch on-screen, although his performance is significantly weaker when compared to some of the other performances in this movie. Lee Strassberg delivers yet another spectacular and moving performance as the long-time gangster Hyman Roth. But the one supporting performance that really shined for me (more than in the original), John Gazale as the brother Fredo Corleone. His performance was delicately layered and moving all the way, and by the end of the film I felt such pity for the guy. Shoulda' been nominated for an Oscar.
The musical score in this movie is very much the same, and therefore as brilliant and as memorable as the first. The cinematography, the sound and the set decoration are spectacular, and makes the movie feel more epic.
I prefer this movie to the original for a number of reasons: For what seemed to be an impossible goal to make the movie better than the first for some, for the stronger characters, the stronger performances, the epic feel to it, the perfection carried on, the more complex plot and the magnificent ending. This movie must never be deemed a sequel! It carries on the perfection of the first already perfect movie. A must-watch for everyone!
10/10