What do you see as the pros and cons?

Pros for me:

-The operatic, Shakespearian feel of the film. It's a tragedy story.

Con:

-Connie basically being Michael's Underboss and becoming Acting Boss while he's sick. It's the most unrealistic thing in the entire series.

-I find Andy Garcia's over the top acting worse than Sofia Coppola's. He comes off very cartoonish.

-Whereas the first two films felt like you were watching a film from the 1940s and 1950s (with GFII's 1950s segments even having that technicolor look of 50s films), and captured the atmosphere of the 1920s era in NYC well, GF III is set in 1979-1980 but feels/looks as if it was set in 1990. It doesn't look at all like the late 70s/early 80s. Next to the two films that came before, it looks cheap.

Pros: Even though it has the disadvantage of following on the heels of I and II, overall I liked the plot twists,and of course the memorable murder scenes (ie. the helicopter massacre,stabbing Luchessi with his glasses,etc).

Cons: The absence of Tom Hagen. I know it was a money decision by Duvall,but I think every fan wanted to see how his final story arc with Mike would have played out. George Hamilton was a ridiculous substitute. Even though he wasn't blood,Hagan was the last of the "brothers" to Mike and I felt a little cheated by not knowing what his fate would have been.

Pros : The long opera sequence, the Vatican subplot, having Raf Vallone, the little nod to Enzo the baker, Al Neri still there, the landscapes in Sicily. Not ruining the Tom Hagen arc and character with a dumb, pedestrian rivalry and betrayal story.

Cons : the soapy love story between the two cousins, the inexplicable change in personnality for Michael, Connie and little Anthony. Yes people change in 14 years, but you cannot jump from how things were at the end of Part 2, do a 180 degree and not explain anything. Not having Tom Hagen, a pilar in this saga, not doing anything worthwhile with Tom's son, the priest.

They should have reunited the team and do a new non-Corleone mafia story instead.
That way, FFC could have indulged his sister and give her a strong matriarch role, without betraying the characters. I get she was fed up with playing long suffering types, but the Michael-Connie dynamics were unlikely.
What is more, they then would have been able to invite James Caan to the party.

Pros: Well-made film for the most part. Excellent cinematography, music, sweeping scenarios. Connie and Kay assertive, for once. First 20 minutes or so (through Vincent killing the two thugs) were pretty good.

Cons: Feeble, disjointed plot. Looked to be poorly edited. Wallach and Sofia terrible. Worst: No Hagen. OK, FFC couldn't reprise Clemenza for II, but Pentangeli more than made up for him. No Hagen in III, and the Melanoma Poster Boy was a travesty.