The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 16, 2022

Paramount has released Director Francis Ford Coppola's reworked sequel film 'The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and a restored mono soundtrack. At time of writing, this presentation is exclusive to one of two UHD boxed sets that also include The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II, The Godfather, Part III (interestingly included as one of the two bonus discs). These sets include the standard and deluxe presentations.

Newly edited and returning the original title Director Francis Ford Coppola and Author Mario Puzo first envisioned for the film, Coda represents a more focused and complete vision for the film. Coppola says that "Coda" better defines the film's purpose as an “epilogue, a summing up” of the first two films in the series. This new edit rearranges the film with a new beginning pulled from a scene that was, in the 1990 film, placed later in the story. There's a new ending, too, and a number of "repositioned" scenes in the middle. Coppola says that with Coda the story has been “given new life” that yields a “new experience.” It's a superior edit to be sure, though still a film that suffers from a few shortcomings. Nevertheless, it's now a more approachable film and more fluidly connected to and in-line with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

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The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Not only did The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone release to Blu-ray in 2020 with high expectations for this new cut of the film, it also arrived with a sublime 1080p transfer, hands-down one of the finest the format had ever, and still has, seen. This new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release takes that foundation and amplifies it in all the right ways. The higher resolution of course brings out a level of sharpens and fine detail texturing that even the wonderful Blu-ray cannot match. Pound for pound this is a staggeringly solid image, perfectly filmic in every way and well capable of revealing not just the picture's essence but also its most intimate parameters. Close-ups are a marvel of intricate definition, yielding stupendous detail to facial lines, pores, and hairs. Location details, including the classically warm Corleone home office interiors, reveal every leathery line on furnishings, wood grain on panels and bookcases, and fine definition on background element like books and a telephone. The clothes are amazingly sharp and well defined; high end suits and leather jackets are practically tactile and well capable of showcasing every stitch and seam with seamless clarity. Various exteriors -- Vatican City at the 44-minute mark, for example -- look so clear as to almost fool the viewer that the television is not a playback device but rather a window into the world. Grain management is breathtaking. Grain is entirely even and light, yielding a proper cinematic texture that is sure to delight even the most demanding videophile.

Like the other Godfather films, the Doby Vision color grading brings out the best of what the color spectrum has to offer, and like the other films it is perhaps at the extremes where the grading most proves its worth. Black levels are incredibly deep and rich, easily the most balanced of the three films. Whether low light and shadowy interiors or black suits -- which are plentiful throughout the film -- there's a level of balance and absolute black definition that pushes the format to its limits. On the other end, whites are incredibly crisp and true, leaping off the screen with a purity and intensity that is gorgeous, particularly against black suits. The warm locations hold deep browns and reds to perfect depth and color nuance, while various more vivid tones appear with natural punch and accuracy. Skin tones are healthy and true as they only reflect surrounding lighting conditions. As with the other films, there are no print blemishes or encode problems of note. This is the best looking of the three films, which is saying something because The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II are also elite.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather than remix for Dolby Atmos, Paramount simply reproposes the existing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2020 Blu-ray. For convenience below is the review of that track:

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation proves both as powerful and subtle as necessary, blending its elements and delivering faultless audio in every scene. The film now opens with Michael meeting with the archbishop on the subject of bailout money; the dialogue cavernously reverberates through the room. The scene is followed by a festive, springy party with music and chatter amiably filling the stage. The two are exercises in the track's diversity, with reach in both scenes wide and immersion precise, even as they're two entirely unique audio scenarios. Likewise, the gunship attack partway through the film offers dense spinning rotors and heavy gunfire that yields prominent depth to impacts, shattering glass, and other sounds of chaos with clarity, expert balance, and prioritization within the chaotic din, as well as a terrifying feeling for immersion. Music is rich and detailed as the track explores every note of Carmine Coppola's score. Light ambient effects blend in well, too, and the subwoofer is utilized to balanced and detailed effect. Dialogue is clear and precise, whether tightly married to the center during hushed whispers or in those aforementioned examples of reverb.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone contains no supplements beyond an optional introduction to the new edit with Francis Ford Coppola (2160p/Dolby Vision, 1:32). This is the same from the Blu-ray. As it ships with the boxed set, a digital copy code is included with purchase.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone stands not only a new cut of the third installment in the Godfather saga but also as the new definitive version of the film. The flow is smoother, the narrative is tighter, and the blend into and with the other films is superior. Paramount's brand new 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release is featureless beyond a director intro but the picture quality is absolutely perfect. The 5.1 lossless soundtrack is quite good, too. This release earns my highest recommendation.