Does The Godfather Coda fix all of the issues from Part III? For the most part I’d say yes viewing this as an epilogue does help matters.
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone
(1990/2020)
Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Paramount | R – 158 min. – $22.98 | December 8, 2020
Date Published: 12/03/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 4/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Michael Corleone (AL PACINO), now in his 60s, seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire. That successor could be fiery Vincent (ANDY GARCIA)… but he may also be the spark that turns Michael’s hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence.
Quick Hit Review: It’s been well over a decade if not longer since I watched The Godfather Part III but based on my limited recollection, and my rating on IMDb, didn’t seem like I disliked it, sure couldn’t hold a candle to the first two but a solid entry. However, it is understandable why the film has been criticized over the years and with studios allowing filmmakers to revisit their studio-tinkered works (i.e. Zach Snyder and Justice League), and probably shelf filler during this time, and Francis Ford Coppola got to assemble as close to the vision he and co-writer Mario Puzo intended, titled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, more of an epilogue to the saga rather than a third part. So having little recollection of Part III, I’m not entirely sure what was changed and going into this version fresh, I found it to be a solid flick, one that flows quite nicely and features some fine performances by Al Pacino, Diane Keaton (in a bit of a limited role), Talia Shire and Andy Garcia. Unfortunately, and albeit she had a couple okay scenes, Sofia Coppola, who is a damn good filmmaker, had some let’s say questionable scenes, including the pivotal ending. That being said, won’t say she was awful or even took the film down a notch, just a strong, and more experienced, actress should have been cast.
It will be interesting in the future to watch what I guess would be the true Godfather Saga with Coda following Part II. As it is, certainly does not live to the levels of its predecessors, but still highly engaging and even with it being 2.5 hours, flows pretty well. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – ½/5 |
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This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The only thing included is an Introduction (1:31) by Francis Ford Coppola. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Just when you thought they were done, Paramount pulls you back in with this Blu-ray release of The Godfather Coda. The film is presented with a 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and shown in 1080p high-definition transfer. Because tonally this is a dark movie, other than some outdoor, daylight scenes, colors aren’t exactly vibrant, though skin tones do appear natural at least and the black levels are well balanced. Detail on this is incredibly nicely defined throughout and the natural film grain and noise is still there. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
| The disc includes a great Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track with good balance for the score, including the opera sequence during the finale, while dialogue levels are strong, coming out with fine clarity through the center channel. Ambient noises mostly make the way through the rear channels. |
OVERALL – 3¾/5 |
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Does The Godfather Coda fix all of the issues from Part III? For the most part I’d say yes, though Sofia Coppola’s performance still is at best spotty, but viewing this as an epilogue does help matters and I’d be interested in re-visiting the saga with that in mind. As for this Blu-ray, the transfer is well done just a shame we don’t get any features outside an intro as would like a breakdown on the differences, but due to Covid, probably couldn’t have been recorded. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.