Being a sequel is tough. You’re almost expected to suck. Obviously not always (just look at Quentin Tarantino’s list of the best ones ever made), but also people start complaining about you before you’re even made, inevitably saying that you’re ruining the original before production even starts.
The reason is often because the original was doing just fine without you. Likely it was a good movie (at least popular enough one to warrant you), so it’s a bit jarring when you come along and announce “hey, remember that movie you loved? I’m tagging along to it.”
But with this one, things are different. Yes, the original was doing just fine, but once part two was created, one seems naked without it.
It’s fitting that the practice of giving the sequel the same name as the original followed by the numeral “2” was uncommon before it. It’s like the movie recognizes what a companion piece it is.
So here we are with one of the few sequels that is recognized as truly great, and an explanation of why. It’s 1974’s The Godfather 2, written by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
A prequel and a sequel
Prequels might be even tougher than sequels, as a lot of the excitement of the unknown is gone. Yeah, we’re discovering how Vito rose to power, but we also know in the back of our minds that he will. And that he won’t die. And Clamenza and Tessio are also safe.
Sequels, since they’re following the continuation of the same story, have a hard time answering the questions we might have about the characters and the backstory.
But here, with The Godfather 2, we get to have our cannoli and eat it too.
We get to discover the origin stories of the characters we’ve fallen in love with, while also finding what happens to them after the fact.
This could feel disconnected or jarring, but the structure works because it perfectly highlights the similarities and differences between Vito and Michael. We see how certain qualities like genuine love allows one to build an empire, while the lack of it forces another to lose everything he has to maintain it.
It makes the story feel even more epic and like a complete journey.
Reinforces the original’s messages
Many of the themes still exist that exist in The Godfather, like “The loss of our humanity can lead to great evil.”
And as mentioned above, this is true for Vito, as he learns from Don Fanucci, and it’s also a harsh truth that Michael seems to realize at the end of the movie.
We also get to explore other characters more deeply, discovering how Fredo feels about being passed over, getting more of the backstory for the older generation characters, and getting to witness Kay stand up to the man that Michael has become.
We also get many new characters like Pantangelo, Haimen Roth, and Fanucci, who fit in perfectly with the world and add onto the messages.
Makes The Godfather even better
I often feel it’s a silly idea that a sequel could ruin a movie. Sure, it can dilute the brand, but we can always just pretend that the sequels don’t exist and enjoy the original in whatever way we want..
It is possible, like in this case, though, that the sequel actually makes the original better. The Godfather 2 does it in a few ways.
One, it gives more meaning to certain scenes in the original. In the Las Vegas scene, Michael warns Fredo “don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family again.” Without the sequel, that moment is still great. We’re seeing Michael stepping into his father’s role, giving the same warning that he once gave Santino.
Howevs! With the sequel, it’s a chilling piece of foreshadowing. When Fredo does betray Michael, this scene now has so much meaning, as Michael chooses to make good on his warning (and loses his brother and his humanity as a consequence).
The movie also makes some of Michael’s motivations in the original make more sense. As noted on the Unspooled Podcast, Michael’s turn from not wanting to be part of the family business to becoming part of the family business seems sudden.
But in the dinner scene near the end of this one, we learn that Michael has joined the armed forces as soon as Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. This tells us that Michael is very driven by duty. He feels a duty to his country, and thus sacrifices all his plans to honor that duty. And now when we look back at his decision to aid his father and extract revenge on Sollozzo, we see it’s the same sense of duty driving him.
The arks built in the first one are also completed for many of the characters in the present-day scenes, and we also get to see how many arks begin begin in the prequel scenes.
If 2 never existed 1 of course would still be great, but somehow, like the godfather of movie genies this one makes it even better.
I’ve heard argued that 2 is better than one, and I don’t know if I can quite agree (especially since last week I tried to make the case for one being definitively the best movie ever ;). But I get the argument.
And really, when I list The Godfather as the best, I’m kind of cheating because I consider these two movies to be one film, and when I say The Godfather is the best movie ever, I mean part one and part two together are.
And yes, Godfather 3 is a good movie if you’re just taking it as a stand-alone film, but it doesn’t do for the series what this one does for the original, so in comparison it feels not as good. I often wonder if it should NOT follow the pattern and it should be called something else because it’s not really The Godfather Also like how this one is.
Because I think many of us do feel the story really ends with Michael sitting alone reflecting on his personal tragedy. A tragedy that’s over six hours of one great film.
Thanks for reading!
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