I don't know man, I've always read that Part II might have been better but for me it's not even close. The original simply has much more memorable scenes, better dialogue, and an all-around tighter structure that had me engaged from beginning to end. Part II was also a masterpiece but it didn't click with me as much. I would also say that the first film is a much greater example's directing talent because he introduced us to the world and characters with it while telling an amazing story. With Part II he was building on the world and characters of the original, and while the flashbacks were impressive I didn't find them to be fitting of the film's overall form (I kind of wish it were a separate movie even). I mean I knew why he put them in there, I just think he could have done a better job at integrating them. You can't go wrong with either, but in my opinion the first one is much better.