Review Detail

When I first saw The Godfather Part III, I was pretty disappointed. Completely lacking in subtlety, it seemed to me a weak imitation not belonging in the same breath as its predecessors. But this time around, while it's still no masterpiece, I actually enjoyed the film, much to my surprise. Perhaps I have become more patient and more appreciative of cinema in these past few years, but I do believe a big part of the reason is due to spicediver's changes, the vast majority of which went completely unnoticed - I had to read the changelist to see what I'd missed. A number of cuts, rearrangements, and redubs are made, which are quite subtle yet significant enough to alter the tone of the film for the better. The ending is also greatly improved. One thing I would've cut or modified is the conversation between Michael and Mary at the 45 minute mark, as it comes off as unnatural.

This isn't an aggressive cut, with the run time at 2hr 40mins. Rather, spicediver has taken the approach of polishing the film - certainly a respectable goal. It also means this can easily serve as an alternate viewing as no plot points of the original are missed. I imagine most people wouldn't even realise this is an edit - a testament to spicediver's editing skill and intelligent approach. Really the only thing that would be noticed is a bit of footage from the beginning (I'm guessing a VHS quality deleted scene). Definitely a good choice to move that scene to the beginning.

Very well done, highly recommended.