10 Movie Sequels Better Than The Original

2. The Godfather Part II

The Godfather is one of those deified films that stands among the greatest of all time, with every element of it pretty much flawless. The only way you top near-perfection, then, is with absolute perfection, which arrived a couple of years later in the former of The Godfather Part II.

Where the first story tells a fairly straightforward story of Michael's descent into becoming a true part of the family business, the second is much more of a sprawling, epic tale, cutting between a younger Vito Corleone in the past and Michael in the present.

Without being a plot-driven, it instead relies more on mood, tone, and atmosphere, which become just as absorbing as Michael's continued fall, and there's something a little sad but completely gripping in seeing him lose what's left of his soul, and contrasting that to his father's own actions. It almost goes without saying that it's technically brilliant, and features one of the all-time great performances from Al Pacino, while it takes the drama to new heights in tackling heavier, more philosophical themes. Cold and brutal, daring and deep, the movie enriches its characters and story, a true epic looking at the corruption of America through the corruption of one man's soul. There's a reason it's a classic.