Final Cut (2022 film)

Release

The film was originally scheduled to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, but was withdrawn after in-person screenings were cancelled due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. It was then announced for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The nationwide release in France was moved from 15 June to 17 May 2022, the same day as the festival premiere.

In April 2022, the Ukrainian Institute requested that the French title Z (comme Z) be changed because the letter Z had become a militaristic symbol supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hazanavicius initially stated it was too late to change the title but ensured the film would be referred to exclusively by the international title Final Cut during the festival. On 25 April 2022, the French title was changed to Coupez !.

Reception

Critics were split on Final Cut. On Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 45 reviews were positive, averaging 5.8/10. The site's consensus calls it a playfully entertaining meta-commentary on remakes, though more satisfying for those unfamiliar with the original.

Metacritic gave it a 51 out of 100 from 14 critics, signaling mixed or average reviews. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised it as an entertaining oddity, more about live theater than cinema, that might revive the zombie genre. In contrast, Owen Gleiberman of Variety panned it as Hazanavicius's first film where he seems out of control, calling it a messy, annoying one-joke movie.

Did You Know?

• Hazanavicius came on board the project during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 after producer Vincent Maraval acquired the remake rights and approached him.
• Filming began on 19 April 2021 in Paris.
• Yoshiko Takehara reprises her role as a producer from the original film.