The Godfather: Part III (DVD)

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room The Godfather is a hallmark of American storytelling, and it is arguably matched by the brilliant sequel, but the third film, made almost twenty years later, is largely regarded as the weakest of the three. While it has some mottled spots, it is still a great film and thoroughly entertaining as a bookend to the Corleone legacy, even if it fails to reach the great heights set by the first two films, and is a lot more bombastic and melodramatic. The third Godfather film reconnects us with a now-aged Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who is far more contemplative and reflective than in previous ...  Read the complete review

The release of the third part of the Godfather saga in 1990 is one of the most critically controversial films in history. Sixteen years followed in the wake of Part II, its ambiguous end confirmed by director Francis Ford Coppola to be closure to the franchise - there was no promise, nor was there expected to be any promise of a conclusion to the story of the Corleone family. When Part III finally came to cinemas, not only was there wide hatred, but everything about it pointed to a desperate gamble to make money. It seemed that it was essentially a spin-off of the Oscar-acclaimed classics, and ever since, the Godfather: Part III has had its reputation tarnished. However, ...  Read the complete review

Francis Ford Coppola's third installment is a major disappointment. Made two decades after the second part it is an embarrassment in comparison to the power and meaning of its predecessors. Coppola was a cocky young director full of ambition and drive when the first 2 were made. With this film, just as with Michael Corleone he has become middle-aged, flabby and filled with a constant nostalgia without regard to the present. As with the first 2 Part 3 begins with a religious ceremony, as Michael receives the Catholic honour of San Sebastian. This device allows Coppola to introduce us to new characters and fill us in with developments within the family. The ...  Read the complete review

Sequels are notoriously ropy affairs - you get the awesome first in the class, then, buoyed by the huge audience and dollar signs, the makers set out to exploit the brand and follow up with a lacklustre second episode which somehow never captures the same magic quality that set its predecessor apart from the crowd. Go on, try and think of a half way decent follow up - I can think of a few, Aliens for definite, Batman Returns at a push and Jaws 2 in some respects, Godfather 2 (come back to that one). But that's about it, and for every masterpiece you get a thousand dire sequels, stuff like Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Damien: The Omen 2, Hannibal, Exorcist II: The ...  Read the complete review

Some say three’s company; others say three’s a crowd. Of course some of the best things comes in three’s and this can apply to the Godfather trilogy of films. After proving that a sequel could be better than it’s original it was many years before cameras started to role on the third instalment in 1990. It’s 1979 and we join the Corleone family who are now based in New York, still at the head of the family is Michael (Al Pacino) but now their business dealings are going on the straight and narrow. They’ve sold the casinos and are moving to be a big part of the Vatican church’s business dealings. But the threat of trouble ...  Read the complete review