The Godfather: Part III (1990)

The Godfather: Part III

• I wasn’t expecting much going into this movie, but I was actually surprised by how decent it was. It mostly exceeded my expectations, although it's easily the weakest of the original Godfather trilogy. It doesn't feel unnecessary, but it also doesn't add anything we haven't seen in previous Godfather films. It's also hard going from the first two Godfather's (the greatest 1-2 punch in cinema history) to this. It was a little hard to get into at first, but once you do, it's entertaining. For me, at least. The new characters are interesting (though the acting isn't great). Except for Michael, Kay, and Connie, everyone else is a new face, but you get to know them well enough throughout the movie. While it was fun to watch the family continue its prosperity, some of the story is just random, like all the incest stuff, and some of the business with the Vatican. One thing I really liked was how Michael was the last living son of Vito, and they gave him health problems in the movie. It makes him seem vulnerable and weak, whereas in the previous two movies, he’s powerful and intimidating. It brings him back down to earth, which was an awesome detail. Pacino did a great job as always, and there was one particular scene that actually brought me to tears because of his fine performance. I also loved how they wrote Michael struggling with the decision he made with Fredo, and it made much like his poor health, it made him feel human again. The rest of the casting did a great job, and I really enjoyed seeing the next generation of the Corleone family. The last thing I absolutely loved was the music, and it used a lot of the same themes from the first one. The movie also opened with the trumpets, much like the first, and it gave me serious chills. Overall, I really like it, though as a movie, it definitely has flaws. The acting and writing definitely drags it down at times. But, it's a solid end to the trilogy. If I were to recommend it, I would say go watch 'The Godfather Coda' instead of this, seeing as that's the definitive cut of this movie. Even still, I like this one. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!