Lionsgate unveiled the second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s grand film “Megalopolis” on Wednesday, featuring remarks from various esteemed critics about Coppola’s renowned works. The trailer kicks off with quotes linked to reviews of “The Godfather,” with The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael stating it was “diminished by its artsiness,” and Village Voice’s Andrew Sarris criticizing it as a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.” Other notable critics like Roger Ebert, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, Vincent Canby, and Rex Reed also appear in the trailer, reflecting a range of critical perspectives on Coppola’s iconic films, including “Apocalypse Now.” The intention of the trailer seems to be to establish “Megalopolis” as a timeless masterpiece in the vein of Coppola’s earlier celebrated works.
However, a significant flaw in the trailer’s premise has been highlighted: the quotes used do not appear in any of the referenced reviews. As noted by media outlets, these phrases are not found in the online versions of the reviews. It remains unclear where the quotes originated. For instance, Ebert’s remark about “Dracula” being a “triumph of style over substance” is actually from a review of “Batman” from 1989.
Owen Gleiberman of Variety is inaccurately cited in the trailer as describing the 1992 film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” as “a beautiful mess,” criticizing its “absurdity” from his review for Entertainment Weekly at that time.
Gleiberman remarked on the misrepresentation, stating, “Even if you don’t like critics, we don’t deserve to have words misattributed to us. The unraveling scandal here is that the entire ‘Megalopolis’ trailer is founded on a false narrative. Critics largely praised ‘The Godfather,’ and while ‘Apocalypse Now’ was polarizing, it received substantial critical support. Regarding ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula,’ I’d only wish I had said that; it now sounds generous.”
Some critics genuinely expressed disdain for Coppola’s earlier films, with Reed, for instance, dubbing “Apocalypse Now” as a “gumbo of pretentious twaddle.”
As for “Megalopolis,” it may be due for a reevaluation. Peter Debruge from Variety had a negative response, describing it as a “deeply personal, but sloppy allegory on his relationship to art,” and commented, “It appears world-building—a crucial tool in modern Hollywood—may not be a strength for him.”
“Megalopolis” is scheduled to release in U.S. theaters on September 27. Lionsgate has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the trailer, and Reed, who continues to write for the Observer, also has not provided a comment. Meanwhile, Kael, Simon, Ebert, Canby, Kauffmann, and Sarris have all passed away, making it impossible to obtain their current views.