Stunning-but-wild Megalopolis trailer pokes fun at negative reception with fake bad reviews of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather and more

Update: The latest Megalopolis trailer has been removed from all legitimate online platforms, after Vulture exposed the fact that the negative review quotes featured in it were fake.

Original story as follows...

A new trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's divisive sci-fi epic Megalopolis has been unveiled – and it looks wild.

Set to release in UK and US cinemas on September 27, the movie centers on a forward-thinking architect Cesar (Star Wars' Adam Driver), as he clashes with his lover's father Franklyn (Captain America 4's Giancarlo Esposito), an old-fashioned mayor, over how best to rebuild New York City after a devastating disaster. 

It is said to have cost a sizeable $120 million to make and was entirely self-funded by Coppola, who has been writing variations of the script since 1983, following the sale of a significant portion of his winery business. Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel also stars.

The promo, which you can watch above, opens with a voiceover claiming that "true genius is often misunderstood", as quotes from negative, seemingly made-up reviews of Coppola's revered The Godfather flash by. It does the same with Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker's Dracula, before the narrator, who is presumably Laurence Fishburne, adds: "One filmmaker has always been ahead of his time." 

In our Megalopolis review, critic Anna Smith says the film, which currently has a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is "almost so bad, it's good", while praising Driver's "somber and serious" approach to his role.

"Megalopolis is intriguing and often diverting, its more outrageous moments inviting comparisons with cult classics like Showgirls," she continues. "The costumes and sets are enjoyably opulent, and a few stand-out scenes will go down in movie history – most of them involving Aubrey Plaza in a plunging neckline with a wicked glint in her eye."

For more, check out our list of the best sci-fi movies of all time or our breakdown of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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