"the godfather" received very positive reviews. the film has a 97% rating on rotten tomatoes. critics said the movie went beyond expectations and created new standards for cinema. they praised the cinematography and said it was revolutionary. roger ebert wrote that the film is completely absorbing and has many complex character interactions. critics and other directors praised the cast. they said it was one of the best. many said that coppola should get the most praise. the film has a 100 out of 100 on metacritic with "universal acclaim".