First time watching the "complete novel" version. Haven't seen the original cut in about 20 years but would likely have given that three-and-a-half stars.

First time watching the "Death of Michael Corleone" cut, which is indeed a bit better than the original theatrical, though for the most part what I wrote in my Dissolve review is still true: visually splendid but a near complete botch in terms of dialogue, performance, place-setting and story. thedissolve.com/reviews/788-the-godfather-part-iii/

(There's no way to indicate this but this viewing was the shorter cut, which I'd actually never seen. I didn't see MARGARET until it hit home video, at which point I watched the longer version. I didn't record my reactions at that time and it's been nearly ten years, but my guess is that I would've been at ****1/2 on the extended cut.)

This second viewing was of the newly restored version that debuted on TCM during their 2021 festival. It's 15 minutes longer and adds more character depth and detail to one of the most cleverly plotted noirs of its era.