The Godfather: Part III 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Godfather: Part III 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released Director Francis Ford Coppola's sequel film 'The Godfather, Part III' 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, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Interestingly, both cuts of this film are included as one of the two bonus discs, perhaps commenting on their "legacy" status as now not the definitive third cut in the famed trilogy. These sets include the standard and deluxe presentations.

The Godfather: Part III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the legacy Blu-ray discs; the film has been released on remastered Blu-ray; please click here for screenshots (available once those reviews go live post-street).

Relegated to "bonus" status though it may be, Paramount has not cut any corners for the 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of The Godfather, Part III. Befitting the series, and this set, the presentation is spectacular to be sure. The picture boasts a powerful textural base and plenty of ultra-fine details amidst perfect film-like fidelity and great clarity in every scene. The grain structure is pronounced but purposeful and evenly distributed, yielding a fresh, approachable, and very satisfying cinematic look. This compliments the naturally fine detail that is a result of the film source and native resolution, boasting wonderful depth to lines, density to hair, and clarity to pores and other skin details. Clothes are resoundingly clear and highly detailed as well. Additionally, various environments throughout the film delight for the finely appointed furnishings and structural elegance on display; the UHD never misses a beat in bringing every environment in the film to spectacularly vivid life.

The Dolby Vision grading offers a healthy, organic boost to the presentation as well. The picture is fairly warm, as a rule, with skin tones reflecting that mild red push. Still, the adds to overall color depth and refinement push this presentation well above the original Blu-ray releases. There's a feel for organic accuracy and natural depth and detail to the full spectrum that the old Blu-ray cannot match. This appears a more natural, a more lifelike grading that offers plenty of refinement and gains to lifelike accuracy. As with the other films, it is perhaps at the black-and-white ends where the picture finds its most striking gains, the former appearing resplendently deep and true and the latter crisp and brilliant. Consider also the absence of print wear and encode flub and this is easily the new definitive presentation of the original cuts of The Godfather, Part III.

The Godfather: Part III 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:

If you would have blindfolded me and told me I was hearing the opening theme of The Godfather: Part III in a concert hall and not at home on this Blu-ray, I might have believed you. It's reproduction over the opening moments of the film sounds incredibly "live" and is placed oh-so-precisely across the soundstage. Who says lossless makes no difference? Dialogue, again, is reproduced without flaw throughout this movie. The famous helicopter attack scene in chapter 9 is out of this world, vastly superior and much more powerful and precise than the DVD edition I own (not to mention the VHS Cassettes). Bass thumps, bullets continually ring out with amazing precision, and the scene's impact is elevated drastically thanks to this major improvement in sound. Likewise, the following scene features a thunderstorm, and it sounds as real as if a storm was rolling past your window outside. Like the other films' soundtracks, this mix creates a wonderful environment that comes alive with the finest nuances to create a realistic atmosphere. The Godfather: Part III, like the previous installments, sounds absolutely wonderful.

The Godfather: Part III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Godfather, Part III contains one extra on the disc, a feature-length commentary with Director Francis Ford Coppola (please click here for a review). Also included are two cuts of the film: 1991 Cut (2:50:08) and Theatrical (2:41:42). As it ships with the boxed set, a digital copy code is included with purchase.

The Godfather: Part III 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Needless to say, it is an interesting experience to watch the original theatrical and 1991 cuts after having last seen the movie twice in recent years in the new Coda cut. These are certainly the lesser versions now for narrative flow, characterization, and pace but still an important and worthwhile part of the Godfather legacy. As expected, the UHD picture quality is superb. The legacy 5.1 track is largely fine as well and the disc includes a director's commentary track. As part of the larger boxed set, this release earns my highest recommendation.