Megalopolis: Adam Driver’s New Film Received One of His Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Scores

Adam Driver is one of the most recognizable working actors in Hollywood, a performer with remarkable versatility—creating two of cinema’s more intense roles as Kylo Ren in Star Wars and his recent Belle Reve-bound accoladed appearance in Marriage Story. So when the news came that he was about to star in Megalopolis, a movie by no less than venerable director Francis Ford Coppola, expectations were through the roof. However, much to everyone’s surprise – Driver saw one of his lowest ever Rotten Tomatoes scores with this movie. So, what went wrong?

Let’s explore some key factors that might have contributed to Megalopolis‘ subpar reception.

High Expectations from Francis Ford Coppola

Anything bearing the Coppola moniker carries a tremendous load of expectation, mostly due to the fact that he gave us The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, his twin inescapable titanic projects. It could be that Megalopolis was never going to meet those lofty projections.

Megalopolis had been on Coppola’s mind for more than two decades now, so hopes were high. When a director with the pedigree of Ridley Scott releases a new film, it is understandable that expectation concerning its merits reaches unrealistic levels. And yet Well, even the greats can hit a bump every now and then.

Overly Ambitious Vision

Preliminary reviews of Megalopolis suggested a complicated, overly-ambitious story that is simply too hard to write well. Coppola is a storyteller who frequently risks alienating his audiences. Regarding Megalopolis, a number of critics called the film overly ambitious to its detriment.

The deep philosophical ideas, world building and experimental storytelling may have turned off some more casual viewers from pure entertainment. That conflict might have contributed to the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Key Issue	Impact on Film’s Reception
High Expectations	Audiences expected a cinematic masterpiece, but many felt disappointed.
Ambitious Narrative	A complex plot left many feeling confused and disconnected.
Mixed Performances	While Driver shone, some performances didn’t match the high standards set.
Coppola’s Vision	Bold but possibly too experimental for mainstream audiences.
Pacing Issues	Some viewers found the movie slow, dragging down its appeal.

Mixed Performances from the Cast

Indeed, Adam Driver is but one piece of the puzzle in this ensemble film — and even though the actor has more or less always delivered sound performances throughout his career so far, not every Kar-wai-friendly actor resonates as greatly with critics and audiences as Mr. Driver does. For the most part, Driver himself has been relatively unscathed by the blame—most of his reviews praise him for continuing to put in work into his craft. That said, a film is only as good as its weakest keystone and the performances of the supporting cast are varied which might have led to the low rating.

As much as Driver is one of few who could carry a movie like this, an ensemble project hinges on every player’s work. A controversy around the portrayal of a few characters is that they felt underdeveloped, others argued their portrayals ultimately left much to be desired.

Experimental Storytelling Style

After all, Coppola is no stranger to brash storytelling. Although this often results in seminal cinema, it can also be a bit of a hit or miss amongst the wider public. The variety of the reports also note that Megalopolis was a mashup between various genres (including science-fiction, drama and dystopia), served as an examination for complex human-elements like power society, and identity.

Although that sounds cool, it’s not always easy to achieve. This blending was a bit too esoteric for certain viewers, who found it jarring, which went on to divide audiences and critics. While some lauded it for its scope, others said it resulted in a tonally inconsistent movie.

Pacing and Length Issues

Good pacing is a vital part of any film. And all the plot and story in the works can fall flat if you feel it dragging or being rushed. Some early reviews suggest Megalopolis might have been burdened by pacing issues, with the film’s flow sometimes being drawn out or far too brief in certain segments.

This lack of balance tends to annoy the viewers which later on reflects in negative reviews. Since Rotten Tomatoes is a platform that represents both critical consensus and audience reactions, if a majority of people struggled with the pacing, I can understand how that might affect the score.

Themes That Are Hard to Digest

For all of its big ideas — from philosophical musings on society to futuristic interpretations of cities and civilizations, Megalopolis may have been too high concept for many consumers. Deep intellectual or philosophical films are meant to give the lay person something to chew on — but when they lack a good storyline, and characters you can like or relate to, it struggles at the box office.

Previous projects of Driver’s, such as Paterson and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote also flirted with more of an abstract, conceptual territory, but they never set out to accomplish the scope Megalopolis aspires to. It tries to tackle too many things at once that it makes you want to shout ‘Slowdown, I’m already so busy!

Reason	Potential Audience Reaction
Complex Themes	Audiences felt disconnected due to overly abstract ideas.
Pacing Issues	Slow scenes and uneven progression led to frustration.
Mixed Cast Performance	Some roles felt underdeveloped or not compelling enough to carry the film.
Too Ambitious for Mainstream Appeal	A blend of genres made the film feel unfocused for many viewers.

Audience vs. Critical Reception

The other thing worth mentioning with Megalopolis, however, is that it seems to have the critics and audiences divided. Now of course the critical reviews are which to read first, and by-in-large disappointment abounds; but here you get a mixed bag: die hard Coppola or Driver fans enjoying the ambition of the film if not always its execution.

The lower Rotten Tomatoes scores for smaller, art-house films—especially if they’re also more challenging in terms of narrative structure or thematic development—are nothing new. It might eventually find a cult audience, but for now its place is nestled firmly in the realm of divided cinema.

Conclusion: Why Did Megalopolis Fall Short?

How, then, did Megalopolis score one of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes grades in Adam Driver history? The movie basically it all came down to the movie was not what people expected, different talk radio storytelling and some subpar performances. Driver is, of course, a force of nature in and of himself; and he kept the ship afloat as best he could… but even his mighty talents couldn’t stop this thing from sinking for many.

While Coppola’s vision was bold and some might say over the top, it seems that his actual greatest sin may have been to be too high-concept for both general movie-going audiences and certain critics. Still, as with many movies that take a mixed beating to start out, Megalopolis might become known for something else over an extended duration. Complex films are regularly revalued as new generations discover the titles’ depth and innovation.

In other words even the projects we want to succeed most, with the best actors available, will fail to land with everyone.