Francis Ford Coppola, the director that brought us The Godfather and Dracula, has now burdened us with Megalopolis. Because to watch a movie so condensed would also mean you have to unpack it after, thus leaving the audience to ponder thereafter. He also managed to assemble an insanely stacked cast that I have to mention all if not most of them…
Adam Driver plays Cesar Catilina and somehow has retained some of his Force powers from his time as Star Wars’ Kylo Ren. Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei from Game of Thrones) plays Julia Cicero. Shia LaBeouf pretty much plays a character very aligned to his present self as Clodio Pulcher. One of my favorite actors from Parks and Recreation, Aubrey Plaza plays Wow Platinum (with a character name like that, you know it’s going to be fitting). Jon Voight who has been acting since the 1960s plays Hamilton Crassus III. Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring of Breaking Bad) plays Frank Cicero, the Mayor!
Megalopolis takes its time to establish the various characters (because there really are quite a few to keep up with) and it’s well done through the storytelling itself. The premise of the movie is also firmly set, some might find the pacing to be on the slower side at the start, but it’s really for the betterment of the audience.
The movie very much looks to hold a mirror up to the audience, to reflect on the current state of affairs in our own societies. As far as I can tell, the movie looks to be set in the early 1900s (The Past) with societal issues and themes that reflect the current global climate (The Present) and with a bio-technological twist (The Future!).
With the number of themes explored in Megalopolis, it felt like I was back in the literature classroom. Power, lust, vanity, greed, just to name a few and how the actions of a few people in key societal positions affect the rest of us. Plenty of references pulled throughout history, which might fly over an uninformed audience (doesn’t mean you won’t understand the movie, it functions just as well for those who might have missed the references).
If you’re looking for a movie to talk about, to unpack with like-minded friends and individuals, Megalopolis is for you. It was more of a dramatized social commentary as opposed to a movie made for entertainment, so if you’re just looking to sit back and watch a “light” movie, this probably shouldn’t be the one you choose.
My only gripe with the movie is that they leave two huge plot points unanswered, or maybe that was the point of it all–that not everything needs to be explained.
If I were to sum up my experience with Megalopolis, I was definitely impressed with the concept and cinematography, the acting was definitely on point, the movie had moments of entertainment but was not entertaining as a whole, overall I left the theater with more thoughts than when I had entered.
Megalopolis is out now!