'Megalopolis' first reactions: Critics call Coppola film 'craziest thing'

New Delhi,UPDATED: May 17, 2024 14:28 IST

The first reactions to auteur Francis Ford Coppola's film, Megalopolis, are here. Critics have called it messy, crazy and brilliant in parts. Inspired by Roman stories and fables but set in present times, the unique film stars a bevy of actors, led by lead star, the versatile Adam Driver.

Deadline hailed Megalopolis as a 'mad and modern masterwork.'

Deadline stated in its review, “It is a mad modern masterwork that reinvents the possibilities of cinema. It is something of a mess; unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame. It is also, however, a pretty stunning achievement, the work of a master artist who has taken to Imax like Caravaggio to canvas. It is a true modern masterwork of the kind that outrages with its sheer audacity.”

Vulture called it the 'craziest thing' and wrote, "Megalopolis comes to us as the (perhaps final) testament of an artist now in his 80s, but sometimes it feels like the fevered thoughts of a precocious child, driven and dazzled and maybe a little lost in all the possibilities of the world before him. There is nothing in Megalopolis that feels like something out of a 'normal' movie. It has its own logic and cadence and vernacular. Megalopolis might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen."

IndieWire also had nice things to say about the movie in its review and wrote, "Coppola’s wild and delirious fever dream inspires new hope for the future of movies.”

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times called Megalopolis an 'erudite work': "It is an erudite work in a world that belittles expertise, a defense of nonconformity in an industry allergic to it. The film reads as a closing statement from one of the cinema’s greatest artists.”

Also starring the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf among others in pivotal roles, its release date is yet to be announced. Although the makers are confident they will release it in cinemas this year itself.