Francis Ford Coppola’s Mind-boggling Comparison of ‘Megalopolis’ to Picasso and Monet’s Paintings Sounds Even More Outrageous After Its Nightmare Reviews
- With his latest flick Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola attempts to juxtapose an artist’s vision of the world with that of a greedy Mayor’s.
- Furthermore, the visionary filmmaker touches upon the fact that some good movies, like art, are never appreciated when they are released because they are so ahead of their time.
- Megalopolis is set to be released on September 27, 2024.
There are some names that cinephiles can instantly equate to greatness and unparalleled ingenuity. With movies like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola is one such filmmaker.
Unafraid to experiment and take risks, Coppola has always spearheaded innovation and out-of-the-box thinking for all his projects. From his stories to the way he directs a movie, it all comes down to his ultimate vision for the project. His latest venture Megalopolis is no different. Starring Adam Driver as the lead character, the movie takes viewers on a journey where one man tries to emulate a utopian future for a city.
Francis Ford Coppola compares Megalopolis to Picasso and Monet’s early work
Francis Ford Coppola needs no introduction since his filmography speaks for itself. The leading director and producer has been taking Hollywood by storm for over five decades now. With experience and cutting-edge thinking, Coppola believes in reinventing and rewriting the rules of filmmaking to challenge the norms and do away with the cookie-cutter approach.
With his latest flick Megalopolis, Coppola attempts to juxtapose an artist’s vision of the world with that of a greedy Mayor’s. Talking about finding newer ways to structure films and tell a story differently, Coppola told Empire,
The movie business tries to encourage everyone to think that there’s only one way a movie can be. It has to have a protagonist, and then, in the first few minutes, it has to have an antagonist. They are prescribing a formula that they’ll be able to sell over and over again. So when a movie comes along that doesn’t fit that formula and they don’t think it’s a new formula that can be repeated, they don’t want to do it because they feel there’s too much risk.
Furthermore, the visionary filmmaker touches upon the fact that some good movies, like art, are never appreciated when they are released because they are so ahead of their time. In Megalopolis, the filmmaker has blended aspects of the Roman empire in a new-age American setting. Coppola continued,
As we know, the art we revere — Bizet’s Carmen, artists like Picasso, Monet and Matisse — is art that in its time was considered too risky or a failure. Apocalypse Now is a perfect example. When it came out, people said, ‘What the hell is this?’ But they never stopped going to see it. With Megalopolis you can’t put a label on it. And that’s great. That’s the kind of film I like.
With Megalopolis, the filmmaker strives to question what the industry thinks is the recipe for success. Time after time, the industry has failed to recognize genius work which later turned into unmissable classics. Will Megalopolis live the same fate?
Megalopolis receives lacklustre reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
With merely a 53% score on the aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Megalopolis seems to follow in Coppola’s past works’ footsteps. From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, almost every revolutionary work by the director has bombed at the box office at first and later blossomed into a classic piece of art. However, reviewers feel that the central flaw of Megalopolis is the lack of a believable storyline. Some of the reviews read,
All of us who love movies owe Coppola a great deal, and possibly that’s what makes it more painful than upsetting as his life project falls apart. [Full review in Spanish]
The film itself is a call for public philanthropy and social engagement paradoxically manifested as cinema’s single most expensive vanity project.
Can a movie be simultaneous brilliant and a huge mess at the same time? Coppola certainly tries!
The setting and the appealing visuals pull you closer, but the shallow storyline leaves many reviewers wanting more. Many feel that the movie is certainly a vanity project as the lead character resembles Coppola’s desire for more in every aspect. His frustration with lowly progress and a burning desire to make things brilliant resonate with the filmmaker’s passion.
Megalopolis is set to be released on September 27, 2024.
