Francis Ford Coppola is already likening Megalopolis to one of his other movies that was received divisively when it first premiered, Apocalypse Now, as a number of critics wrote negatively about the movie now widely considered a classic (including by What to Watch, as it is on our 100 best movies of all time). But having seen Megalopolis for myself, I have to fall in the camp that Megalopolis is not on par with Coppola's best, perhaps not even among his middle of the road movies.
It's not for lack of ambition. Coppola takes a massive swing with Megalopolis and creates a visually stunning world. He is also very clear in what he is saying with this movie — that it is an allegory to our current society and a warning that if we do not change our ways and have a serious debate about what we want our future to be we could collapse like the Roman empire. The main problem with Megalopolis is that the world Coppola creates and the characters he inhabits it with offers no connection for the audience. It's all message and no story, which does not make for the most engaging viewing experience.
