While it was unpopular and poorly executed, the third Godfather movie was necessary.

While Godfather Part 3 was generally considered the worst of them, with some legitimate criticisms in its execution, the movie was a necessary conclusion.In the first Godfather movie, it shows very clearly that while Michael is a war hero and not averse to violence itself, he doesn't support the direction his family goes in. He exists outside the family business and is understood to be a civilian, and shows a distaste for the way his family operates. "That's my family," he says to Kay, "it's not me." He's a man with two moral codes. On one hand, he believes in right and wrong, and doesn't want to be a criminal. On the other hand, he believes in family above all else.The events of the Godfather force him to compromise his belief in right and wrong, but he does so always in protection of his family. He kills Solozzo to protect his father, and when he takes control of the Family, he does so reluctantly, as there's no one else who can protect those he cares about. He starts out betraying one moral code in service of the other.In Part 2, however, his final act in killing Fredo throws everything away. His justification for every evil he'd committed up to that point was in service of his family, but this fratricide destroyed that justification. He is then just a thug. With this unforgivable crime committed, he must be punished.Godfather Part 3 is where he is punished. People didn't love the "confused" tone of the movie, but it was a necessary conclusion. He had gone from being a moral man to being the man his family needed him to be, and from that to sacrificing his family for the sake of his business. His pursuit of business now had to cost him his family.The "confused" tonality of the film seems less confused when you think about it. The Michael Corleone you see here is an imposter, a fraud, accepting high Vatican honors in exchange for generous donations, and it all seems empty because it is. With all his moral codes washed away, all he has left to strive for is a vain attempt to wash his sins away. His wife despises him; his son distrusts him. The only time he feels like himself is when he's Don Corleone. He's drawn to teaching Vincent because it's a chance to be a gangster again, to strike at his enemies. This is also the only time the audience feels like they're watching a Godfather movie. They want the ruthless and cunning Michael Corleone, not the guilt-ridden wreck that confesses Fredo's murder to the new pope. But it's the ruthless and cunning Micheal that forces his enemies' hands and ultimately leads to his daughter's death from a bullet meant for him.So yeah, the movie could have been executed better. Sofia Coppola could have been less terrible, for one. Still, Part 3 is a necessary ending to the story. Man makes vow, man breaks vow, man is punished. It's a modern tragedy in three acts. As an audience, we forgive Fredo's murder because we never liked Fredo. He's a screw up and he plots against Michael, and perhaps gets what he deserves. So as an audience, we don't think of Part 2 as leaving a horrible gap, but it does. The only reason Michael is "justified" in carrying out any of the killings is to protect his family. As soon as he becomes his brother's murderer, all his crimes, present and past, cry out for justice. Part 3 is that justice. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/3cFN251