But then again, is The Godfather one of the five best films of all time? Probably not. It may be one of your favorite films of all time, but on a massive grading scale of every film ever made, it's lucky to be in the top 20.
It's deserving of its critical acclaim and praise. Sure, like anything great, it does get overrated on occasion and cultural saturation has maybe cheapened the film in some eyes. But, it's so good that it's not a stretch for it to be in a top 20.
Take a look at the elements that contribute to a movie as a whole:
Cinematography: Gordon Willis' cinematography was a revelation for cinematographers. Even as a 14-year old who had no idea of what cinematography was or what DPs did, I still found the darkness fascinating (e.g., The Don @ Bonasera's looking over Sonny's corpse; the darkness in the Corleone home).
Acting: One of the greatest ensembles one will ever come across.
Music: One of the most memorable scores ever.
Screenwriting: A shining example of classical narrative. Cause-and-effect chain. Complications. Suspense. Surprise. Climax build-up. Etcetera.
Editing: Notable classical editing. Classic montage sequences. Classic cross-cutting in the opening wedding sequence which is one of the finest opening sequences to a movie ever.
Directing: Coppola guided the fantastic performances. His attention to detail crafted a believable story world. As overseer of all elements, that were by themselves fantastic, and making them into a cohesive whole.
I mean all those elements are of the highest order.
It's definitely not a stretch for the movie to be in a top 20.
