I confess that this reader comment on the Ebert site review is making me reconsider.

_I saw this film probably in the same showing you did. I can’t fathom how you can rate this film so highly. It is probably the worst film I’ve ever seen.

The performances are atrocious. Driver works hard to sell it. Plaza gives the worst of her career. The rest do very little. Of course, they have nothing to work with - the dialogue reads like preteen fan fiction. It took all my energy not to burst out laughing when Plaza stops the elevator and yells “I have three rules.” It’s embarrassing.

The SFX are 1990s Playstation quality - a real problem considering how much of the film depends on it. You rightly point out the plots adds and drops elements randomly. So what’s left? Yes, Coppola has some ideas. So do first year undergraduates. It’s not good enough to have an idea. This is a $120M idea!

The characters are surprisingly thin given how much screen time some of them get. What can you tell me about Driver’s vision for the city? All I know is he gives long speeches about nothing and works hard in montage. The actual content of his vision is only briefly articulated - he wants parks near everyone. The rest of the vision is conveyed via low quality VFX, which shows me the artists who worked on the film watched and read a lot of old sci-fi. But it doesn’t tell me about Driver’s specific vision.

What about Esposito? We see he loves his family. But why is he mayor? What are his goals? Interests? Wants? He’s there to oppose Driver, and that’s it.

The 4th wall breaking scene is there for no reason other than to be there. It added nothing to the story, character, plot, or experience. It was as innovative as John Water’s smellovision! Except it cost $120M.

I don’t hate this movie because it breaks norms or pushes boundaries. I don’t agree or disagree with its politics. I don’t even care. I hate this movie because it is so poorly made, by everybody involved - the worst writing, acting, directing, and effects I’ve seen on screen. I can’t imagine that this movie would get any stars if it was directed by somebody else and starring a bunch of nobodies. It’s an insulting final product._