Review: Megalopolis

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Written by: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza

Rating: [1/5]

Receiving the green light and financial backing to create a film can require a level of checks and balances that has the potential to get in the way of the artistic vision of a filmmaker. An understandable situation given the individuals fronting the money to put on the film want to see a potential return on their money. This push and pull of commerce and artistic integrity thus occurs, but there are instances where a filmmaker can forgo this process and choose to bankroll their own movie, as seen in Megalopolis. While admirable in practice, perhaps this film could have used some of those aforementioned checks and balances given its incredible lack of quality.

In New Rome, Cesar (Adam Driver) has reached a level of fame because of an integral invention but has recently learned he can also stop time. Dealing with his own demons, Cesar must now contend with the mayor, Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and other patrician families for what the future of New Rome will look like. 

Francis Ford Coppola has earned an undying level of respect as a director solely for what he did in the 1970s. A run of film that remains mostly unparalleled as he delivered a slew of legendary films. He has truly tested how much that run of films has purchased him in good will. It got to the point where in order to create his latest, Megalopolis, he needed to finance it himself. Unfortunately, we can see exactly why he needed to self-fund it, as even though it takes on these grandiose ideas about society and civilization, it’s also an utter and complete mess. 

In the grand scheme, Cesar’s journey displays a look at the treachery of the individuals who run the world we inhabit. This appears in the political, social, and financial arenas as Cesar wades in ways that he tries to stand out amongst them. It evokes an altruistic character who contains a larger vision to create a utopia while others want to imbue their own perverse reasons in their forms of control. Once again, this film has some strong ideas as Coppola wants to make these proclamations about how he views the current state of the world and his vision for the future. This cannot be taken from this film. 

What can be said about this film is that it contains a wackiness as seen through the characters pulling the strings in New Rome, but somehow it manages to be so tedious. Some contain some semblance of seriousness, while others give off the idea they’ve been pulled straight out of a Roald Dahl book. You can have characters with names such as Cesar, Cicero, and Crassus, as well as a prominent one named Wow Platinum. This strange dichotomy makes for a maddening viewing experience, as this film just throws this smattering of ideas and characters against the wall and can barely put everything together into something even resembling coherence. After a while it simply became irritating to experience its dullness and sheer lack of energy as it continued to inch along. 

It’s fascinating to watch the cast assembled for this film and what they had to work with. I can imagine why taking on a role in this film looked so promising. It’s an opportunity to work with Francis Ford Coppola in what could certainly be his last film and one he has so much passion for he put in nine figures of his own funds to craft it. Surely, he would not go all-in for a film that could not have at least some semblance of quality. Adam Driver, certainly, could not turn down such an opportunity and does a decent enough job in his portrayal because Coppola gave him the most meat on the bone. Everyone else, not so much, as they proved quite difficult to watch in these caricatures.  

If Megalopolis sought to be wacky, the least Francis Ford Coppola could have done is make the movie fun, but the film remains at war with itself and what it wanted to present narratively. I believe dearly in the integrity of the artistic vision of a filmmaker, because after all, that’s what we’re all here for. However, at times filmmakers need to be saved from themselves, and this film stands as a testament to this idea. Its incompetence befuddles beyond belief, and while I’m glad it exists on principle, it’s unfortunate I actually sat through it and had to distill it enough to write this review.