9.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Continuing saga of the Corleone family as they move to Nevada and make the casino business their major income source under the leadership of the increasingly paranoid and malevolent Michael, whose reign as the "Don" is juxtaposed against the parallel tale of his father's escape from Sicily as a young boy and his subsequent rise to power in New York's Lower East Side during the turn of the 20th century.
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, John CazaleDrama | 100% |
Epic | 98% |
Crime | 94% |
Period | 79% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Paramount has once again released Director Francis Ford Coppola's legendary sequel film 'The Godfather, Part II' to the Blu-ray format, this time celebrating the original film's 50th anniversary. This new Blu-ray has been remastered and is released concurrently alongside the UHD (which, at time of writing, is only available in a trilogy boxed set). This disc is available individually or as part of a three-film Blu-ray boxed set which also includes a remastered 'The Godfather' and the 2020 Blu-ray release of The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.'
Suffice it to say, this is an elegant Blu-ray presentation. While it cannot match the superiority of the UHD release, the 1080p/SDR Blu-ray does offer a
healthy and perfectly watchable Blu-ray image that bests the old 2008 presentation. At that time that disc was released, it seemed there was little, or
no, room to improve upon things, but 14 years have been very kind to the film, restoration processes, and the like, resulting in a better picture all
around.
Color balance here is terrific. Even without the help of the UHD's Dolby Vision grading, there is no mistaking this picture's wonderful tones, from the
earthy hues seen in the opening Italian funeral sequence on to browns and beigest and general feel of mild warmth to the flashback sequences, to the
elegant depth and punch of the "modern day," as the film is set, scenes where clothes, cars, natural greens, and the like offer very impressive depth
accuracy, and stability. The picture is shot warm and dark, like its predecessor, with outdoor scenes looing slightly blown out and interiors very deep and
shadowy. Both hold to graceful color spectrum dominance, with the black levels in particular looking very good: rich, deep, and powerful without
absorbing detail. Conversely, white balance is terrific, again not as crisp and authentic as the UHD can offer but approaching best case scenario for the
Blu-ray format.
The filmic image boasts a wonderful grain structure. It may not be always consistent, but it is frequently light with only modest spikes in density. It
lends to the picture a very natural filmic appearance, again short of the UHD's prestige but offering a very tactile, organic feel. Clarity is wonderful.
Clothing is dense and detailed, faces are naturally complex and revealing, and environments are well defined and tack-sharp, whether around the
Corleone home, old-timey New York City locations, or in exotic Cuban locales. No matter the lighting or the overall scene circumstance the picture
doesn't miss a beat; with no real encode flaws or source splotches and signs of wear-and-tear, The Godfather, Part II could not look much
better on Blu-ray.
For this release, as well as the UHD, Paramount has included both the legacy Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack (please click here for a full review) and a newly remastered two channel mono track. This new track, presented in the Dolby Digital 2.0 configuration, is similar to that included with the UHD release of The Godfather. While it is obviously absent the fullness and greater immersive definition that the 5.1 track offers, the 2.0 mono track offers a good, basic listen. Musical clarity and definition satisfy, and spacing is never an issue. Most of the action-type content pushes to the middle but some gunplay and other elements do find some extension along the front. Dialogue is clear and holds to a nicely imaged front-center position.
Only one supplement, a Francis Ford Coppola commentary track, is included on this disc proper (please click here for a full review). The larger boxed set contains more content. (please click here for a breakdown of what's included). As it ships with the boxed set, a digital copy code is included with purchase. An individual slipcover is included with this release.
As with The Godfather, this is a faultless presentation. The picture quality is simply outstanding. No new multichannel audio mix is included, but purists will enjoy the restored mono presentation, here in the lossy Dolby Digital encode. This release, either individually or as part of the larger boxed set, earns my highest recommendation.
Sapphire Series
1974
Sapphire Series
1974
1974
1974
1974
(Still not reliable for this title)
1972
1990
1995
Extended Director's Cut
1984
1990
2019
2013
2007
1993
2013
2016
Remastered
2002
2002
Gold Edition
1983
35th Anniversary Edition
1987
1987
1990
2014
2009
Cidade de Deus
2002