14 Sep REVIEW – ‘Megalopolis’ is a must-see spectacle for all the wrong reasons

There are passion projects and then there’s something like Francis Ford Coppola‘s Megalopolis; a film the Oscar-winning director has been attempting to get off the ground since its conception way back in 1977 that’s only now finally a reality after an investment of $120 million of Coppola’s own money. Hats off to the legendary filmmaker for taking such a huge risk, but was it really worth it?

At the age of 85, Megalopolis could very well be his final film. With a big swing of the bat for his swan song, Coppola produces something that is indeed a must-see spectacle but for all the wrong reasons. If you put Showgirls, Babylon, and Romeo + Juliet in a blender and regurgitated the result all over the screen, you’d have Megalopolis. Intentional or not, it’s pure camp with a capital C. It’s like a toddler attempting to produce a Shakespearean play. Is it dreadful or masterful? Somehow, it’s both.

Set in a world that’s somehow both ancient and futuristic, Megalopolis takes place in what was once considered New York City which has now become New Rome. A decaying metropolis where class disparity sharply divides, the key to saving the city may lie with idealist architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who has the power to control time and seeks to rebuild New Rome as a classless utopia by utilising his Nobel Prize-winning material “Megalon.”

Cesar faces strong opposition from Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) who’d much prefer things remain exactly as they are. Caught in the middle of the two men’s war for control is Franklyn’s daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), who despises the influence granted by her famous father and begins a secret love affair with Cesar, who also happens to be her boss.

Adding to this often incomprehensible melodrama, you’ve also got Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum (yes, that’s the character’s actual name), an ambitious journalist and Cesar’s wildly jealous mistress; Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher, Cesar’s party boy cousin who lusts for his own brand of power, and Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III, Cesar’s wealthy uncle and the head of New Rome’s largest bank.

Written by Coppola, the film’s screenplay offers this cast of typically wonderful actors with the most egregiously silly dialogue that even awards darlings like Driver, Esposito, and Voight can’t make work. Having made a name of revelling in campiness, the ever-reliable Plaza is the only one who seems to understand the assignment, even if it probably wasn’t the one Coppola gave her. Everyone else is taking everything so damn seriously which just makes their performances borderline laughable.

The plot is just as baffling and frustrating to follow with numerous story strands either going absolutely nowhere or being completely forgotten about as if they existed more fully in an old draft of the script. It’s so dreadfully disjointed that you have to wonder if the initial cut was closer to 4 hours long and big chunks have been lopped off in editing. In their place, Coppola injects a stack of psychedelic dream sequences and drug-induced hallucinations that offer nothing to the narrative.

And then there’s the moment everyone’s been talking about since Cannes where a live-in-cinema, fourth-wall-breaking element appears about halfway through the film involving someone pre-selected by the cinema. The info is out there online if you want to know the exact details, but I’ll avoid spoiling it myself. It’s a gimmick that adds absolutely nothing to the film. And it’s one that will likely be used to sell tickets to special event screenings since it’s not plausible to include this at every single session when the film opens.

It’s clear Coppola is attempting to draw comparisons between the fall of the Roman empire at the hands of greedy, power-hungry men and the current political state of America. He’s seeking to criticise the media and its role in shaping politics for their own agenda. He’s suggesting a utopian society is possible if we all just stop fighting and work together. But everything he’s attempting to say registers terribly flat when all these themes and ideas are wrapped up in something so genuinely incoherent.

That being said, you can clearly see how this trainwreck cost north of $120 million with its wild menagerie of lavish costumes by Milena Canonero and extravagant production design from Bradley Rubin and Beth Mickle. It’s all somehow both ancient and futuristic and that kind of melding has to be admired. Ultimately, it’s all a shiny distraction from the madness of what’s in front of you, but it’s beautiful to behold regardless.

As the potentially final film from one of cinema’s greatest directors, Megalopolis is a hugely ambitious gamble. This is the movie Coppola always wanted to make and hats off to him for making it happen. However, much like most passion projects, that leaves us with a self-indulgent, pretentious piece of rubbish that proves why no studio was willing to get on board with Coppola’s bizarre vision.

For better or worse, Coppola remained steadfast in his determination to make a film he clearly considers his magnum opus. If he’s satisfied, I’m happy for him. Every director deserves a moment like this. Of course, that doesn’t make Megalopolis any less terrible. It’s somehow simultaneously too much and not enough at all. It’s one of the most inexplicably bizarre experiences you’ll have in a cinema this year. For that reason, get yourself a ticket immediately.

Distributor: Madman
Cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producers: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, Michael Bederman
Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola
Cinematography: Mihai Mălaimare Jr.
Production Design: Bradley Rubin, Beth Mickle
Costume Design: Milena Canonero
Editors: Cam McLauchlin, Glen Scantlebury
Music: Osvaldo Golijov
Running Time: 138 minutes
Release Date: 26th September 2024 (Australia)