The city of New Rome is the main conflict between Cesar Catilina, a brilliant artist who favors a utopian future, and the greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero. Between them is Julia Cicero, whose loyalty is divided between her father and her beloved.
“How often do you think of the Roman Empire?”
This was a trending topic not so long ago, where women would ask their significant others this question, often shocked by the answers, with a high percentage of men responding that they thought about it once a day and one shocking answer where a partner confessed as many as three times a day. This was meant to be depicted as a red flag as so many in question who would allow their thoughts to be occupied with this period do so with an unhealthy fetishization that glamorizes the fallen empire.
However, maybe we should spend more time thinking about the Roman Empire, but rather its excessive decadence that led to the fall of one of the most powerful empires in the history of the world rather than the romanticization of power in the hands of a few. At the same time, the rest were left to suffer in poverty. While the fall of Rome is a thing of ancient history, there are more than just a handful of scholars who would tell you that, while much younger as a nation, the current state of the United States mirrors that of Rome before the great collapse.
And they would be right.
While I consider myself somewhat of a political enthusiast in my daily life, I typically aim to avoid the topic within these reviews, but to do so with “Megalopolis” would be impossible.
Anybody who hasn’t lived under a rock for the past couple of years has undoubtedly heard of “Megalopolis,” the passion project from legendary auteur Francis Ford Coppola, 41 years in the making. From various stories detailing its troubled production (not surprising given that Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” is perhaps the most well-documented production catastrophe) to a disastrous hit to its controversial casting choices to its marketing campaign that showcased a trailer full of negative quotes that were never said from famous film critics regarding Coppola’s previous classics, Coppola’s latest has managed to garner both controversy and doubt long before its wide release with many already speculating a spectacular failure from a director who many would argue hasn’t released anything of worth in three decades.
The doubters are right. And, oh, are they also spectacularly wrong.
“Megalopolis” opens in the fictional city of New Rome (on-the-nose much?), with the eccentric, troubled, and wildly misunderstood Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a gifted artist who recognizes the need for change in New Rome and seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future. Naturally, Cesar’s idealism creates problems for those who would rather maintain a regressive status quo, none more so than New Rome’s Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). An intense rivalry between Cesar and Cicero is immediately established. It serves as a ferocious driving point for the events to come, even more so as Cicero’s daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), the more central of the three, takes a particular interest in Cesar’s work and endeavors to learn more.
We move through New Rome with various character introductions showcasing the enormous disparity between those at the top and those at the bottom, but as any good tale would have it that is set in a period of the best of times and the worst of times, everybody here strives for one of two goals; to gain power or to maintain it, and they will see these goals achieved through any means necessary.
As one might expect, “Megalopolis” can seem a little pretentious at first glance, with more than one character introduced through Shakespearean dialogue, quotation after quotation flashed across the screen, more often than not accompanied by a Laurence Fishburne narration and dialogue that regularly appears to be seeking the honor and privilege of being its own quotation in a near future, but given the fact that the film seems to be shot, staged, and written like a cinematic stage play, this is all forgivable, mainly when handled by a top of the line cast who takes complex material and makes it seem effortless.
Cinematically, the film is a masterpiece. Bright, extravagant colors of an idealistic future are juxtaposed with the stark, darkened scenery that makes up the almost dystopian reality. The opening sequence immediately lets you know that you are in for a visually dazzling ride, with one sequence meant to mimic the entertainment of Roman times serving as a particularly jaw-dropping piece that seems never to end. And you wouldn’t want it to.
“Megalopolis” is an, at times, bizarre film that never lets you know where it’s headed and refuses to adhere to any one style. While much of the film basks in its own seriousness through jarring hallucinatory sequences and one moment of horror in particular that sent the theatre into bleak silence, other moments lean straight into the comically absurd, with intentionally over-the-top performances, most notably from Aubrey Plaza as power hungry reporter Wow Platinum. Her scenes across from Shia LaBeouf, in an incredible performance that reminds you how tragic it is that his life went the direction it did, are truly absurd and laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Reviews of “Megalopolis” have been mixed, and it’s not difficult to see why. I mentioned that the doubters were right, but I would argue that it’s less in regard to the quality of the film itself and more that with its refusal to play by anything resembling the rules and its heavy critiques of the status quo, this film seems almost destined to be a financial bomb. It will never find an audience with the casual moviegoer, and unfortunately, it appears as though it will be targeted negatively as movies that critique the elite often do (“Saltburn” and “Don’t Look Up” being two recent examples of excellent movies that suffered the same fate for the same reason). Francis Ford Coppola had something to say about the state of disparity in the modern age that won’t register with or be accepted by many audience members.
The fact that he first conceptualized this 41 years ago should be telling.
If “Megalopolis” has one flaw, it lacks subtlety of any kind. Where at first I said it might seem a little pretentious in its beginning, I believe that to be a result of a very on-the-nose script, but given the idea that there will likely be plenty of audience members who walk away having not grasped the material, you have to wonder if Coppola had to on-the-nose in order to make sure the message was received. It’s hardly a detractor, though, as “Megalopolis” defies many odds to become a bold and dazzling epic that dares to dream of a better tomorrow, even if the world refuses to evolve. It’s commendable that Coppola attempted this at all. It’s a fantastic feat that he pulled it off. Should the world refuse to accept it now, I have no doubt that it will go on to be considered another Coppola classic in the years to come, perhaps even the magnum opus he’s been working toward for his whole career, made either right before America’s collapse or just before its rebirth into something better.
Either way, it’s a testament to its time.
In Theaters Friday, September 27th
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