5 notable takeaways from the Megalopolis trailer (before it was taken down)

Megalopolis will be a singular 2024 release. It would be a singular release in any year it was released, actually. Francis Ford Coppola has been trying to get his sweeping historical epic made since the late 1970s, and the very first trailer has arrived after months of anticipation. Well, at least, it did. For a few hours.

The trailer for Megalopolis was taken down within hours of its release. Critics rightfully pointed out that the quotes that were pulled from reviews of Coppola's earlier films were in fact, the product of AI, and Lionsgate responded by issuing an apology. It's an absolutely wild development for a film that's already had plenty during the pre-production and production stages.

Here are things that stood out to us on first viewing of the Megalopolis trailer (before it was taken down).

1. Laurence Fishburne reviving trailer narration

Laurence Fishburne is one of the stars of Megalopolis, but he's rarely shown in the trailer. He is, however, heard. The Oscar nominee narrates the trailer with the gravitas and graveness of a Biblical epic from the 1950s, and it really sticks out amidst the cookie cutter trailers that we've grown used to over the last decade (a sad cover of a pop song, quick editing, smash cut to title, etc).

Fishburne not only provides the introductory narration for the trailer, but he returns in the final moments to announce the film's title. It's as epic as you'd want it to be. "Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis," he bellows. It's anachronistic as hell, and it rules.

2. No Megalopolis footage appearing until 40 seconds in

An absolute flex. A person clicking on a Megalopolis trailer is going to expect, well Megalopolis footage, but Coppola decides to spend the first leg of the trailer on his career, and the previously mentioned reviews.

It's form breaking flourishes like this that make Coppola's approach so invigorating. He considers his career, and the decades that preceded Megalopolis' release, as crucial context to understanding and appreciating the film. Trailers give away too much these days, anyway.

3. The shot of a humanoid cloud hand grabbing the moon

There are half a dozen shots scattered throughout the Megalopolis trailer that are jaw-dropping. The shot of Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel's characters embracing while standing atop steel beams in the sky is otherworldly, as is the split diopter in which three different shots of Driver's character are overlayed (1:44 mark).

The one that really threw us for a loop, though, was the shot of a humanoid could hand reaching out and grabbing the moon (1:53). It isn't given any context in the trailer, but the fact that it was included at all suggests a level of surrealism and experimentation that we won't be able to fully grasp until the film releases.

4. "Don't let the now destroy the forever"

This one is a bit abstract, but we're talking about Megalopolis. Anything goes. The very first line uttered in the trailer is from Adam Driver's character. "Don't let the now destroy the forever," he urges, while glimpses of Francis Ford Coppola's past reviews, and the logo of his studio, American Zoetrope, are intercut with footage from the film.

It's one of the most transparent instances of director as protagonist we've ever seen, and the line of dialogue that accompanies it all but confirms it. Coppola is making a film about himself, and pushing back against those who have tried to stifle his creativity. The only thing that could have made it more obvious is if Driver's character was literally a director.

5. The negative reviews were brilliant (in theory)

What is there even to say here? Francis Ford Coppola is no stranger to criticism. The director has been panned at seemingly every turn of his career, whether it be for stone cold classics like The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979) or cult items like Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).

The decision to include negative reviews from these films was initially hailed for being bold and rather clever. Then, it was determined that the negative reviews, and their attributed critics, were false. They didn't exist, and were merely the product of ChatGPT.

Not a great look, and one that absolutely qualifies as messy. The drama surrounding the trailer is going to live on longer than most films do, for better or worse.

Megalopolis releases in theaters on September 27. We can't wait to see the rest of the big swings the director takes.