Doesn't deserve to be bashed

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2008)

As other reviewers have discussed, this movie opened to a fairly unenthusiastic response upon release in 1990. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it takes more time to grow on you than the first two films; I actually didn't react very strongly to this one the first time, it was only on a second viewing that I saw it as the great film it was.
Sophia Coppola's performance as Micheal Corleone's daughter IS slightly underwhelming, but in the end she gets the job done, and her screen time isn't enough to make that big an impact on the overall quality of the film. Aside from a few weakly delivered lines by Miss Coppola and a plot that can be a bit tough to grasp on the first viewing, this movie is excellent. Vincent is a fantastic addition to the series and Al Pacino is compelling as usual as Micheal Corleone. The film's plot is perhaps the most emotionally captivating of the series--especially the devastating ending. Give this movie a chance--it's a worthy conclusion to the series.