'Insane' film from Godfather director hit with boos despite 10-minute standing ovation

An ‘insane’ film from the director of The Godfather has divided critics at Cannes, as it was met with both boos and a 10-minute standing ovation.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, where it has received about as mixed a reaction as is possible.

Reviews range from calling it a masterpiece to a mess as critics have been completely split on the quality of the movie.

Check out the teaser trailer here:

The film, by director Francis Ford Coppola, is called Megalopolis, and the legendary filmmaker has spent about 40 years working on it.

Described as a roman epic set in New York City, the film starring Adam Driver has been described as ‘batsh*t’ by most who’ve watched it – but whether that’s a good or a bad thing is where most differ.

Whilst reports vary as to whether Megalopolis was met with seven or 10 minutes of standing ovation at the conclusion of the Cannes screening, there have also been reports that there were boos.

Adam Driver stars in the film. (American Zoetrope)

Entertainment Editor for Inverse, Hoai-Tran Bui, tweeted: “Review coming soon, but at the end of the movie, the scattered applause was only matched by the loud boos from the audience (crazy movie)”.

The following tweet for their review summarizes the critical consensus well: “Everyone's debating whether MEGALOPOLIS is good or bad. The answer is Yes.”

Senior Film Critic for DiscussingFilm Yasmine Kandil was one of the film’s critics, saying: “Megalopolis is truly insufferable on so many levels. You can tell that this has been forty years in the making and not in a good way by any means. Far past its sell by date right out of the gate.”

Aubrey Plaza is another member of the star studded cast. (American Zoetrope)

This opinion was echoed by The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw who said: “It’s simultaneously hyperactive and lifeless, lumbered with some terrible acting and uninteresting, inexpensive-looking VFX work which achieves neither the texture of analogue reality nor a fully radical, digital reinvention of existence.”

Despite this, some are calling it a masterpiece.

Deadline Hollywood’s Damon Wise said: “True to the advance gossip, Megalopolis is something of a mess — unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame.

Director Francis Ford Coppola in Cannes. (Getty Images)

“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.”

Love it or hate it, it sounds like one thing is clear – this isn’t going to be the last we’ve heard of Megalopolis.

It seems fated to land on as many best of the year lists as worst.

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