10 Greatest Prequel Movies Of All-Time

Despite the fact that first Godfather film ended on what many would deem to be a "perfect" note, with that infamous shot of the door closing on Michael Corleone's office as he assumes the role of Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola decided that the character's journey was far from over.

Nobody could have expected the sequel - which came at a time when quality sequels were a crazy concept, by the way - to have been a masterpiece in its own right, but that's what we got: The Godfather Part II is arguably the greater film, somehow managing to remain gripping, intelligent and narratively sound despite the fact that it's both a prequel and a sequel in one. Such a thing had never - and probably will never - be done to such a notable degree of success.

This is the film for which Robert De Niro, playing a Young Don Vito Corleone in flashback sequences, won his first Oscar, of course. His scenes are cross-cut at relevant points throughout the film, which creates a rich cinematic tapestry that pegs a father and his son's tragic story as one and the same.

What could have been deemed as "filler" not only helps to create a gripping two-handed narrative structure, but also enhances the original film in its explaining of how Don Vito Corleone rose to the top.

In a lesser film, this would have depleted the mystery of his character, but Coppola's script is so nuanced - and De Niro's acting so fantastic - that it feels like something that we needed to see to understand everything. After all, The Godfather Part II is named as such because it's the an entire half of a whole story; it isn't a sequel or a prequel as much as it's the second part of one film.