MEGALOPOLIS-Quick Review

Review by Rob Hinkal

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is impossible to define or truly understand. It’s the passion project of one of the most important voices in American cinema and a total mess in nearly every way possible. Self-financed by Coppola, Megalopolis is nothing if not unique. This one is for the completionists. It is just so crammed with philosophical ideology and concepts that the threads rarely come together. That isn’t to say that there aren’t good aspects to the film. Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito in particular turn in passionate performances. Two scenes come to mind as working incredibly well in terms of tone and intensity… but that is nearly it. I respect Coppola for fully committing to his vision and delivering it no matter the odds, but this is just not good. It could have been, but it’s not. It’s commendable for its audacity but at the end of the day is a deeply flawed, goofy, and whiplash-inducing mixture of elements.