MEGALOPOLIS (2024)
Updated: Jan 30
Coppola's Passion Project Defies Comprehension
Grade: C-
If ever there was a movie made to defy, exasperate, and baffle audiences and critics, it is Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis: A Fable. For months now it has been the subject of controversy and contempt, and upon seeing it, this reviewer can see why. Is it good? Is it awful? Is it both? Hard to say. Even the above grade is difficult to maintain or truly justify.
Megalopolis is set in an alternate version of Manhattan called New Rome, which closely mirrors the ancient empire. The city is facing heavy debt under the leadership of Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and many citizens are turning to renowned architect Cesar Catalina (Adam Driver), who can mysteriously stop time. Cesar hopes to create a new and better city called Megalopolis, made from a new material called Megalon (not to be confused with the Japanese monster), despite being met with fierce opposition both by Franklyn and his own conniving cousin Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf). Meanwhile, Franklyn’s daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), supports Cesar's dream and eventually falls in love with him. When a satellite falls out of orbit and causes catastrophic damage to New Rome, Cesar’s resolve increases, as does that of his enemies.
The film has gorgeous cinematography, courtesy of Mihai Malaimaire, Jr., as well as traces and seeds of great ideas struggling through a sea of bizarre awkwardness. Cesar’s vision of the future is a beautiful one and is somewhat reminiscent of Walt Disney’s ideas. The classic struggle of clinging to the past and looking to the future is present throughout the film, culminating in an emotionally satisfying and visually pleasing finale. Coppola would have done well to concentrate on these themes and images throughout the movie. As is, much of the movie’s goodwill is buried in an unfocused story filled with sequences that threaten to put off viewers.
Take, for example, the celebration of Cesar’s uncle Crassus’s (Jon Voight) marriage to news reporter Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza) in a neo-Colosseum. The scene in question is an unhinged nightmare. While a crazily costumed audience enjoys the spectacle and Clodio plots against Cesar, the architect staggers about in the bowels of the building drunk and drugged out. He screams, rants, fights, a nd imagines extra arms extending out of his back. Meanwhile, acrobats jump and flip in the arena, looking very much like they’re in front of a green screen, and the sight is not pleasant.
The scattershot script contains many subplots that only last a few minutes before being wrapped up. Cesar is framed for having an affair with a minor and loses his power, but he is quickly exonerated when the girl is revealed to be twenty-three. Oh, and he quickly gets his power back. Later, he gets shot in the face, but Megalon is used to repair it and save his life (Admittedly, the imagery in this sequence is very impressive). Needless to say, the script could have used another rewrite or two; this is ironic, since Coppola has been working on the movie on and off since the late 70s.
But could all of this have been Coppola’s intention? Was bombarding us with these story threads, awkward moments and strange images part of a plan to provoke us and take us out of our comfort zone? One could argue that this was a better option than merely making another science fiction movie. Coppola never was much of a conventional director, after all; when directing classics like The Godfather (1972), Apocalypse Now (1979) or Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), he was always pushing boundaries or defying convention, similar to Cesar in this movie. Even many of his failures like One from the Heart (1981) or Rumble Fish (1983) tried to do something different. And Megalopolis is certainly different. Whether it is dismissed or loved by viewers, it will undoubtedly be talked about for a long time.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola
Producers: Barry Hirsch, Fred Roos, Michael Bederman, Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Adam Driver (Cesar Catilina), Giancarlo Esposito (Franklyn Cicero), Nathalie Emmanuel (Julia Cicero), Aubrey Plaza (Wow Platinum), Shia LaBeouf (Clodio Pulcher), Jon Voight (Hamilton Crassus III), Laurence Fishburne (Fundi Romaine), Talia Shire (Constance Crassus Catilina), Jason Schwartzman (Jason Zanderz), Grace VanderWaal (Vesta Sweetwater)
Rated: R (for sexual content, nudity, drug use, language and some violence)
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