Megalopolis (2024)

​“Megalopolis” stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.  Released on September 27, 2024, the film has an architect attempting to rebuild a decaying metropolis.

The film was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who also directed films such as “The Rain People”, “The Godfather”, “Apocalypse Now”, “The Outsiders”, and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”.  Many films tend to be ambitious through their artistic visions and symbolic storytelling, but it’s easy to tell that they’re not made for everyone.  Some have grown to become groundbreaking achievements in the cinematic industry.  In contrast, others have become polarizing and puzzling messes that even major film fanatics couldn’t comprehend what the hell they just watched.  But, at the very least, their visual styles are pretty to look at, even if they don’t elevate their narrative ambitions.  This latest passion project from well-known filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola seems to be no exception, as it has provided plenty of divisive buzz since its premiere at Cannes.  Even worse, it’s another movie distributed by Lionsgate, as if that studio hasn’t suffered enough from its back-to-back financial losses with its previous films.  However, I seem to be one of the very few people who have enough interest in this visually estranged cinematic outing.  With that said, let’s see if this epic sci-fi drama is as polarizing as people make it out to be.  

The story occurs in an alternate metropolis called New Rome.  Following a devastating disaster putting the city on the brink of decay, the federal government hires idealist architect Cesar Catilina (Driver) to rebuild New Rome as a sustainable utopia.  His reliable tool is Megalon, a bio-adaptive material that allows Cesar to control space and time.  However, Cesar competes with the city’s corrupted mayor, Franklyn Cicero (Esposito), who has a different opinion on rebuilding New Rome.  As Franklyn’s socialite daughter Julia (Emmanuel) searches for her purpose, the two rivals clash heads on how to save New Rome from further collapse.

I’ve been saying this a lot, but this is worth repeating in the case of “Megalopolis”.  As I grew older, my interest in movies increased along with it.  Since then, I have challenged myself to watch more ambitious films that come my way amid the more traditional ones.  Regardless of how I feel about these movies, I gain more appreciation for the filmmakers and their artistic visions, whether they’re the ones I’m familiar with or not.  “Megalopolis” is no different, mainly due to its baffling yet somehow intriguing concept.  Even though I hadn’t watched much of Coppola’s other films before “Megalopolis”, his hit-and-miss reputation caught my attention long enough to see his self-financed surreal creation in action.  After reading some of the mixed reactions about “Megalopolis”, I was pretty much prepared for what I was about to experience.  But, as it turns out, I wasn’t prepared well enough.

While the film is set in an alternate modern United States, the story is more of a reimagining of the Catilinarian conspiracy that occurred in 63 BC.  It even drew parallels to the characters involved in this attempted coup d’etat by Lucius Sergius Catilina to overthrow the Roman consuls.  In short, the film is two pieces of history rolled into one unearthly package, one from the past and the other from the future, adding to the bewilderment of its concept and world-building.  But, of course, every bizarre experience comes down to the execution of its narrative impact and its balance with the visual grandeur.  After experiencing the film for myself, I can say it is definitely worth being perplexed about.  I wouldn’t say the movie is a masterpiece, nor is it a cinematic dumpster fire.  But, I will say that “Megalopolis” was an interesting experiment on a visual level, even if its narrative lacked the emotional and coherent impact it was going for regarding its themes.

“Megalopolis” relies on setting historical aesthetics in the modern age to depict its reflection on humanity amid divisive politics.  Cesar hopes to use his time-controlling gift to create a brighter future for the residents of New Rome.  However, his artistic dream was constantly derailed by people’s different beliefs, including Cicero, and many other obstacles like greed, conflict, fascism, scandals, and hatred.  So, in a way, the film resembles how Coppola sees modern-day America.  Regarding its themes and storytelling, Coppola had plenty of considerable ambition in its depiction, offering a balance that combines its fever-dream-like visuals with a modern historical backdrop.  Unfortunately, his screenplay was often downplayed by its perplexing and absurdly illusionistic ideas.  While intriguing in its approach, the script offered plenty of questionable dialogue that sounded more unintentionally silly than inspiring.  There were also a few plot points that lacked an emotional impact or were overstuffed via its runtime.  Despite its respectable pacing, the film’s runtime can often overstay its welcome, especially since it provided much information amid the political showdown between Driver and Esposito.

Regarding the direction, though, Francis Ford Coppola certainly has a vision that’s mesmerizing and preposterously surreal.  His approach to the presentation and production designs was genuinely astonishing, representing a modern America that clashes with historical Roman elements and a sense of futuristic serenity.  Additionally, the visuals and cinematography benefitted this experience by delivering something you’d typically see in a dream, especially its illusionistic coloring.  But, when it comes to everything else, Coppola was a bit misguided in what he wanted from his tone.  At one point, he treated it like a political drama with science fiction elements.  However, in some sequences, it can resemble something out of a school play, not just regarding the dialogue but also the cast’s humorously over-the-top performances.  The tonal shifts can be pretty messy at times, but for some reason, I found myself laughing at its silliness.  Were they unintentionally corny and awkward?  Yes, but it’s in a way that made my experience worthwhile, even if the movie didn’t blow me away with its cinematic and experimental prowess.

Going back to the cast, “Megalopolis” has an impressive lineup of new and familiar faces, which was one of the reasons for my intrigue.  As mentioned earlier, their performances can be a bit over-the-top sometimes, but outside of those moments, they were suitable for what Coppola’s script had given them.  Adam Driver’s portrayal of Cesar didn’t exactly have my vote for this year’s Oscar race, but despite some of his puzzling approaches to his role, he provided enough decent moments to make his character work.  Giancarlo Esposito was also enjoyable regarding his performance as Franklyn Cicero, and Shia LaBeouf channeled his inner cartoonish insanity as Clodio Pulcher, Cesar’s cousin, with respectable results.  I would also credit Nathalie Emmanuel for continuing to make herself known outside the “Fast & Furious” franchise with her portrayal of Julia.  While far from awards-worthy, Emmanuel made the best of her capabilities to survive the film’s sea of perplexingly dazzling allure.

Overall, “Megalopolis” is a surreal and bewildering cinematic opus whose narrative impact lacks the coherent and metaphorical voice to build a brighter future for itself.  While uniquely ambitious in its themes and visual artistry, the film’s innovative aspects in its narrative and direction struggled to match its stunning yet bizarre presentation.  Despite being over-the-top sometimes, the cast was suitable in their roles, and the visual effects were astounding regarding the production designs and lighting.  However, Coppola’s hit-and-miss screenplay and direction were misguided in its length and unintentional tonal shifts.  It was undoubtedly one of those experiences that left me more puzzled than amazed, but that’s pretty much the joy of watching movies.  Regardless of what I think about the film, seeing something that’s bold and out of the ordinary is always a fun treat outside of Hollywood’s massive selection of mainstream content, especially in the theater.  I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, but the experience of watching a piece of cinematic artistry is something I’ll always appreciate.  If you’re familiar with Coppola’s other works and looking for something original, this one may impress you with its presentation, but not as much as his earlier classics.

C