Peter Charney’s review published on Letterboxd:
I, for one, never think about the Roman Empire—like, ever. The same, however, cannot be said for Mr. Coppola, who attempts to tackle the fallacy (or potential) of a utopian civilization by applying the principles of Ancient Rome to a New York City that oscillates between the familiar and the fantastical. His colossal city is filled with real-world iconography, from a swastika to a taxi advertisement for “The Outsiders” musical currently on Broadway. Take that simple example of incongruence and extend it across every aspect of Megalopolis, and you might begin to grasp how this film is teeming with ideas while lacking even the most basic thematic, tonal, or stylistic cohesion.
To Coppola's credit, his wildly ambitious and unlikely film is never dull. Many of his ideas, and their often spectacularly surreal visual execution, are compelling within their own context. The plot, too, is far less incoherent than I was led to believe. There’s a discernible central character, alongside lovers and opponents who fit together within a story world that changes over the course of the runtime. Yet even as there is a followable narrative spine, particularly on a more personal scale than a larger societal one, it doesn’t engage with the viewer enough to elevate the experience as a whole.
I do think it’s neat that some people genuinely like this movie, and ultimately, I’m glad Coppola got to make something he was so clearly determined to bring into this world. Even if Megalopolis felt like a cinematic artifact from the moment it was completed, it still offers a fascinating cultural curio within the history of the medium. It exists outside of time and place, yet is forever tied to Coppola’s singular vision for an impossibly perfect future.
Peter liked these reviews
All
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_536b2430-af48-4e9d-a79e-236d7a5cc46a" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-536b2430-af48-4e9d-a79e-236d7a5cc46a'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-536b2430-af48-4e9d-a79e-236d7a5cc46a'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-536b2430-af48-4e9d-a79e-236d7a5cc46a'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_29762296-007d-477e-8335-f72951339503" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-29762296-007d-477e-8335-f72951339503'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-29762296-007d-477e-8335-f72951339503'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-29762296-007d-477e-8335-f72951339503'));
