Why The Godfather: Part II is better than Part I

The Godfather: Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is considered one of the greatest films ever made. Here’s why.

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[rizzo-films]

Pt 1 is no doubt a classic and a crowd pleaser, but pt 2 is actually devestating. The more I see it, the greater I feel the tragedy of Michael's descent, and a lot of that is in the editing. Seeing Vito's promising rise juxtaposed with Michael's moral fall still shocks me with how brilliant it is. It taps into the universal anxiety that a lot of people have who wonder if they've lived up to expectations, if they've succomed to the same issues that challanged their fathers (or ancestors) and if it's too late to come back from it. But what's so tragic about pt2 is that Michael isn't asking these questions, and probably doesn't until the final shot of the film when it's too late, when he's empty and alone. But the whole time, WE are asking them because of how the film is edited. It's actually done in a simple way but it's so perfectly done that it is able to mine so many complex situations and emotions.

[jessenunez]

I remember as a kid wondering why they didn’t just show Vito’s story first then Michaels but as I got older and saw how each time it went back in time to Vito it was to show how Michael is not living to his fathers vision at all. I think that makes it all the more impactful than the story already is.

[TwistVisuals]

The Godfather Part 2 is my favorite film of all time. It really grows on you, especially after multiple viewings. The highly complex story and characters are way ahead of its time (before the time of Christopher Nolan), especially considering this was a studio film.
While other gangster films show the glory of the gangster and his lifestyle, this movie shows much more of the political and corrupt side, where there's nothing really glamorous. Even the glamorous side is shown right in parallel with the negative effects about 40-50 years later.

[SaberRexZealot]

I think both films are 10/10s, but I do prefer the second one because of the excellent juxtaposition between Michael and Vito. It’s just an awesome rise/fall story.

[zaydin]

I was a teenager on summer holiday with my family, when I slipped away and caught part II on an afternoon in an English provincial town. What a masterpiece unfolded before me. So exciting to see it new.

[teaMmMate]

Part 1 is pure magic, one of the best movies I ve ever seen. Part 2 is just a great great movie.

[omieg]

The Godfather 2 needs multiple viewings to digest it’s complexities. There isn’t a single wasted frame let alone scene. It is such a well crafted story. While I also love the first part, it is a little messier and even has some slow parts to it especially in the first half of the movie. 1 is the more fun film but 2 is the overall superior.

[jamesreynolds]

I found part 1 harder to understand than 2 but 2 more complex but easier to understand. It took me years to get to these films but now realize that these are masterpieces in as much as you could fame any scene on a wall, and it would look like a Rembrandt. Absolutely gorgeous. I found your breakdown precise and agree (against my own bias) that 2 is in fact a superior film in cinematography, maturity, lighting, and story, thank you for straightening my thoughts. Great! Breakdown,

[robertbeckerbecker]

The ending of Part 2 might be my favorite ever. I watched it in theaters recently and I had never been so affected by the film. It was fucking beautiful. Such a devastating ending. Part 1 is about doing everything for family. Part 2 is about divorcing yourself from love and reaping the consequences of that.

[RareCinephile]

I actually like the first half of part II more than the first half in part I, but I like the second half of part I more than the second half in part II.

I've given both 9/10s and I've gotta say, they've both really been growing on me and I truly respect both.

[errwhattheflip]

For me, The Godfather Part 2 is the greatest film of all time. Al Pacino's performance is arguably the greatest ever, and the rest of the cast are flawless as well. The writing is tight, the story is edited perfectly, the characters are likeable and extremely complex and layered, the film has gorgeous cinematography on par with its predecessor (albeit, I do think the first one is slightly better in that regard). It's a film with plenty of layers. It's a gripping character study, a story about family and evil, a commentary on the truth of the American dream and capitalism, but it's really a tragic story about a once good man losing his soul.

[kohlcooke]

It’s interesting to me, fascinating even, how different these two movies are despite being in the same universe just a couple years apart. I think part 1 shows the more exciting, epic side of the mafia genre. There’s lots of blood, lots of big, intense plots and sudden deaths, it feels much more like a war movie. Obviously the dialogue and character writing is still amazing, but it’s more like Scarface than goodfellas: it focuses on the action and drama of an all-out gang war. It doesn’t glamorize the mafia lifestyle, but it makes it appear somewhat simple, a battle for control. I watched pet 1 yesterday and part 2 today. Part 2 blew me away, because it’s a completely different movie. I kept waiting for the big shootouts and assassinations, and they came eventually. But the second movie is a lot more focused on the tangible, crazy intrigue. The darkness. It’s a much more dark, complex movie. It shows why the mafia life is terrible for those who live it. How it ruins families like the Andolinis, how it can destroy trust, how it can kill good people. The contrast between Vito’s more happy, honorable, simple rise and the pit of loneliness and despair that slowly buries Michael is amazing, and balances the tone perfectly. Part 2 didn’t need to focus on action or even have too much of it, it just needed lingering doubts about who to trust, and the emotional turmoil that the family is faced with in the later timeline. Even in the prequel timeline, Vito is ultimately concerned with revenge more than anything. Violence begets more violence, and no one is safe. The second part is so intense, and so dramatic, and such great insight into the dark side of the mafia.

[jondstewart]

I thought I was the only one that liked part two better myself. My reason for it is you get a glimpse of Vito Corleone’s life from 10 years to around 35 years old. Yet his favorite child Michael has taken over the business, but feels like he has to take on a cold and businesslike persona to make things work out right.

[BrianMcInnis]

5:10 A film isn't art because it creates a world other people weren't aware of, it's art because film is an art form. Even the worst films are art for the same reason the worst poems, songs, video-games, novels, paintings, dances et cetera are. Just being art isn't a high bar.

[nathanslay]

The Godfather Part 1 is far better in my opinion, in terms of pacing and story. Godfather part 2 dragged quite a bit in the middle and I felt like there was way too much going on during it. I don't even feel like this should be in discussion. Part 1 is far better, no question.

[janmemo]

all i can say when i whatch you i understand i am not wrong. over the years i am so happy that i've found you at last. thank you for these beautiful videos.

[TheRulerRoderickSutton]

Part I had the charm of Brando as Don Vito! But Part II is the better of the two.

[victoriacarolina]

The construction of the second film delving deeper into Michel's development and Vitro Corleone's revenge and rise story is fantastic, for this and other reasons the second is my favorite

[bw]

This is one story. The only reason they are not fused together to the point that they are inseparable is because of Hollywood, and this story will outlive Hollywood.

[Lag]

I need to see the original continuity of both movies with extra scenes. It was HBO a long time ago.