As a filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola has the distinction of having directed four of the most influential and important films of the 20th century. Only allowing himself to be a “director for hire” a couple of times, Coppola helmed many terrific films throughout his career, but The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now are seminal films that helped define the creative explosion of 70s cinema. Each work was crafted in a different style from the last, while all four flawlessly balanced experimentation with old school craft. With 5 Oscars to his name and having conquered Hollywood many times over, Coppola need not worry about failure. Satisfying his own desire to create something unique, he brings to the screen his decades-gestating Science Fiction fable, Megalopolis. 

This is a film of many layers that will certainly turn off a good deal of today’s movie-going public. Pictures with deep ideas and something important to say are shunned in a world where the comic book movie is king. While it can be argued that the master filmmaker may have a vision for this one that only he can fully see, all who enter here will be immersed in one of the most artistically stimulating cinematic experiences in decades. 

Coppola raised 120 million dollars (merging one of his vineyards with another and borrowing against his profits) to bring his 40 year passion project of hope to the screen. Inside his screenplay for Megalopolis, viewers will find Shakespearean tragedy, Film Noir, a dash of Hitchcock, a lot of Fellini, the historical writings of Titus Livius, absurdist humor, sex, intrigue, and a potent commentary on the America of today. Directed, produced, and written by Coppola, this is a large scale project that cares not for easy narrative threads. The director understands that many may find the film somewhat incoherent, but is (rightfully) more interested in telling the story in the most artistically challenging way he can. 

This is a call for the audience to engage their minds and (in its stylistic choices) exists as a plea for more adventurous moviemaking. 

Megalopolis links present day America with ancient Rome, as it is a country run by the elites that has now fallen into excess and various forms of moral grotesqueries. New York City has been renamed “New Rome” and its Mayor, Franklyn Cicero (a nomination worthy Gaincarlo Esposito), is at serious odds with a visionary architect, the Preston Tucker-like Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver). Cesar has a dream to destroy the city’s old buildings and replace them with a newer, stronger, Utopia for all. Cesar’s structures will be made from “Megalon,” a material of Cesar’s own invention that allows him to stop and restart time.

Before he was a mayor, Cicero was the city’s district attorney who prosecuted Cesar Catilina for murder after his wife went missing. Cicero was unsuccessful in sending his foe to jail and still bears the resentment of Cesar having risen to become (unofficially) the head of New Rome’s Design Authority. The two characters become a reflection of the ever-imbalanced alliance of Politics and Art while each represents both sides of the unstable socio-political climates of 2024.

An unhinged (in the best way) Jon Voight is Cesar’s uncle, Hamilton Crassus III. The man is a rich, lecherous banker who controls the city’s commerce and falls victim to his own carnal desires. His scheming son, Clodio (a marvelously bizarre Shia LaBeouf) wants power and his family’s fortune while a TV reporter named Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza) uses Clodio to help steal Hamilton’s fortune. Platinum is the former mistress of Cesar. She resents the fact that he cannot let go of his love for his long-vanished wife and marries Hamilton Crassus out of spite and a desire for power. 

As is the way of most Shakespeare tales, the public wars between powerful societal leaders become more complex when unexpected love enters the fray. Cicero’s daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel, in another winning turn), becomes intrigued with Cesar’s ideas for a more inclusive future, eventually going to work for him. Cesar finds a truth inside this young woman so open to change while Julia sees a man who wants a better world. The two fall passionately in love; a bond that will further enrage Mayor Cicero and one that will break his heart. 

Megalopolis is full of many characters who have integral parts in the film’s design, even if some seem to drown in the scope of it all. James Remar, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, and Balthazar Getty have “blink and you’ll miss” roles where the bulk of their performances probably ended up on the cutting room floor, but Coppola allows for most of the ensemble to do strong work. The best of the supporting cast being Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine, Cesar’s assistant and confidant. The gravitas in his unmistakable voice gives weight to the narration that helps tell such a unique fable. 

Coppola’s creative autonomy is refreshing. It is the rare filmmaker who is fearless in their cinematic vision, with too many modern directors kowtowing to audience expectation. Megalopolis is a bold, self-governing creation by a man who, at 85 years old, continues to challenge himself and his dedicated fans while exploring new realms of his ongoing cinematic journey.

Working with cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr., Coppola has produced the most visually intoxicating film of the 21st century. The frame is constantly filled with imagery that ranges from the beautiful to the bizarre. Scenes of the Statue of Liberty and other famous NYC statues crumbling under the weight of injustice may be symbolically heavy-handed, but they are jaw dropping visual experiences. 

The CGI is marvelous, creating gorgeous skylines that give dreamlike life to the conscious and the unconscious worlds, as the dystopia of New Rome and the impending utopia of Cesar’s Megalopolis toys with the essence of time. This is a theme Coppola has explored so well in films like The Conversation, Rumble Fish, and Peggy Sue Got Married. At 85, and with the recent death of his wife Elanor, perhaps time is of the essence for a filmmaker who claims he is “still learning.”

In a stunningly shot sequence, Madison Square Garden becomes a modern-day Colosseum, complete with chariot races, gladiators, and bizarre dance performances. All the while, the rich dine at a table away from “the regular citizens” while teen pop star, Vesta Sweetwater (Grace vanderWaal) performs a song as the salacious crowd cheers on and funds her ridiculous virginity pledge; an unneeded side plot.  As the Caligula-like excess continues, LaBeouf’s Clodio sneaks through the bowels of The Garden and schemes to destroy his father, Cesar, and all who would stand in his way.

This particular segment is the film’s biggest stumbling block. It is overlong, overstuffed, and unnecessary. After 5 minutes, the point is made. After 15 minutes, it becomes tiresome. Once Coppola includes Cesar being assaulted (filmed as a bizarro acid trip), while cutting back and forth to the colosseum’s activities, it becomes excruciating.

There will be those who accuse Megalopolis of being too much. The Madison Square Garden sequence is just that and hurts the middle of the film. Cutting this moment completely would have strengthened the narrative. 

Though still a fantastic piece, more problems plague the film. A subplot with Talia Shire as Cesar’s mom shows the possibilities of something deeper between a son’s connection to his mother fails to take shape. Shire’s son (and Francis’ nephew) Jason Schwartzman does what he can with a nothing role as Cicero’s assistant, the film’s supposed comic relief.

As plotlines weave their way through Coppola’s labyrinthine script, they don’t always come together. Audiences may be confused as a few scenes and character allegiances tend to get lost in the grandness of the presentation. While nothing can take away from the stunning visuals, a sharp concentration while watching this picture will be to the viewer’s benefit. 

While I cannot imagine this film being a box office success, the fear is that it will have too short a run in theaters. Like it or loathe it, this is a film that MUST be seen at the cinema (IMAX, if possible), as Coppola has created an immersive experience.

Francis Ford Coppola wants a better America for all. Amongst a sea of cynicism, the filmmaker remains hopeful. His undying optimism echoes in the opening line of the film that made him, “I believe in America.” This is the message of hope for our country that fuels every unhinged beat of this towering work. What the director has done is to create a work of art that speaks to the America of today, acting as a stern warning of what we could become.

This could be Coppola’s final bow. Knowing this, the filmmaker works without a net, creating with unlimited imagination. Lavish, eccentric, and armed with the drive of a twenty-year-old newcomer helming his first feature, his is a vision that remains unmatched. 

Megalopolis is a celebration of  creativity and freethinking; a unique symphony of ideas brought to life by a cinematic visionary. As he did with 1981’s misunderstood One From the Heart, Coppola uses everything in his filmmaker’s bag of tricks, while inventing new ways to tell a story through images and movement. Flawed, to be sure, this is an epic and ultimately satisfying swing for the fences from a master of his craft.  

Megalopolis

Written & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman

R, 138 Minutes, American Zoetrope, Lionsgate, Caesar Film