Divisive film is either ‘profound’ or ‘ambitious’ depending on who you ask

Francis Ford Coppola“Megalopolis,” about the conflict between an architect and a corrupt mayor over the future of a big city, had a difficult journey to the big screen. After decades of intermittent development, the famous filmmaker finally self financed epic and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews. Commenting on this critical response, the film’s trailer referenced negative reviews of past Coppola films, now considered classics. But there’s just one problem: these quotes were fake. You can be sure that all the reviews about “Megalopolis” quoted in this article are real.

“Megalopolis” so far MetaCritic score 56 Based on 54 reviews counted: 24 positive reviews, 22 mixed reviews, and eight strong reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, which categorizes reviews as positive or negative, the film received a score of 50% based on 157 reviews: 79 critics disliked the film and 78 critics disliked it. You can’t get more divisive than that. RT critics’ consensus reads: “More a creative manifesto than a compelling narrative feature, Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ is an overstuffed work that’s stimulating and absurd in equal measure.”

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Siddhant Adlakha (IGN) gives the film one of his strongest recommendations, but admits that it “disappoints and dismays in equal measure—sometimes at the same time.” David Ehrlich (Independent Wire) says the film “is nothing if not the boldest and most frank of (Coppola’s) many attempts to stop time before it’s too late.” Farah Cheded (paste) suggests: “‘Megalopolis’ similarly leaves you with a hunger to dive beneath the surface… untamed by any conventional notion of filmmaking.” And David Horror (Rolling stone) writes: “If he had made and released this at any point in the early 21st century, it would have felt unique. This personal, deep, perversely optimistic film about crawling towards Utopia Now in 2024, with a self-financing budget of $120 million, Sounds like a unicorn.

less kind Peter Bradshaw (Guard), who thought that the film was “ambitiously and seriously intended” but ultimately “a passion project without ambition: bloated, dull, and surprisingly shallow, full of high school graduation truths about the future of humanity.” Moira Macdonald (Seattle Times) calls it “a beautiful mess.” Accordingly Nicholas Barber (BBC), “you can’t accuse (Coppola) of a lack of ambition” and that it’s “wonderful” that the director eventually got the film made, but “this ostentatious, sinister curio will test everyone’s patience, as well as a potential cultural cult hit”. Followers. And Maureen Lee Lenker (Entertainment Weekly) says: “Somehow ‘Megalopolis’ manages to be both chaotic and indescribably boring.”

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What’s interesting is that many positive and negative reviews actually seem to agree on the film’s admirable ambition and often confusing execution. Love or hate seems to depend on how much latitude you’re willing to give a legendary filmmaker for his sheer arrogance. So were her Oscar hopes completely dashed by Coppola’s labor of love?

To be fair, critics were bitterly divided on Best Picture winners before (“Collision,” “Green Book“). Other films with mixed reviews were also nominated for major awards (“The Reader,” “Blind Side,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Joker”). But even by those standards, “Megalopolis” can be a tough sell, especially with even the most rave reviews.hazelnut” And “nonsense.” But the film’s epic vision and scope may have it entering several craft races. If you build it, they will come.

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