The Godfather

I just saw what is probably the most widely regarded "best movie of all time" for the first time. How can I even react to it? It seems weird to even consider judging, ranking, or rating it, because once again, it's the consensus best movie of all time. When something is supposed to be the best of its kind - of all time - it can only meet or fail to meet expectations. It's literally impossible for it to be any better than it's supposed to be. And chances are good that it'll come up a little bit short. So, I need to reiterate my dilemma here - how can I recap or review the perfect movie? I can't. It's that simple. It wasn't necessarily my favorite movie (I've seen it once, and that was less than an hour ago) and it certainly felt a bit dated (which is to be expected from a 1972 movie set in the 1940s) but neither of these things mean it was not, in fact, the best movie of all time. But I'm not ready to give it that ultimate title. Again, I just saw it. Furthermore, it's such an iconic film that I was already more or less aware of much of its plot and famous moments. The horse head scene was something I was anticipating from the very beginning and the oft-quoted "I'll give him an offer he can't refuse" line seemed commonplace. And that's because it is commonplace today, but only thanks to this movie in the first place. Nearly forty years later, The Godfather remains the quintessential mob movie, and furthermore, it's somewhere in almost every movie aficionado's top ten list. It may be slow-paced and drawn out, but that just makes it a thinking man's movie. Not just something to watch, but something to behold. I'm not going to laud it as an intellectual masterpiece, but it unfolded with such a calm and subtle pace - much like Brando's quiet but powerful voice itself. Factor in a hint of action and a beautiful score, and sure enough, the movie's got a case for the title of "greatest ever." But I can't award it that distinction. Certainly not now, and probably not ever. Once a film is as timeless and iconic as this one, it becomes hard to compare it to other flawless and defining films from other genres and eras. Apples to oranges, you know? Besides, I still have yet to see this movie's greatest competitor: its own sequel. Stay tuned.