Movie Review: ‘Megalopolis’ is a grand statement than a solid story from Francis Ford Coppola

CEBU, Philippines — If the phrase “concepts of a plan,” said by a controversial political candidate during a recent debate, were to be exemplified as a movie, it would be this year’s most decisive film yet: Megalopolis, a project Francis Ford Coppola has been trying to make for nearly five decades.

Coppola envisioned the film in the late '70s, wanting to draw parallels between the fall of the Roman Empire and the future of the United States. Given the current political climate in the U.S., you can see what drove the filmmaker to finally make this movie.

“Megalopolis” is set in a dystopian city of “New Rome” that feels more like the futuristic version of New York City, where architect Cesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver) aims to create a utopian society using a powerful material that grants him control over time and space.

However, the city's mayor, Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), views Catilina as an idealistic narcissist and believes his jurisdiction doesn’t need Catilina’s version of utopia. Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), Cesar’s love interest, and Mayor Cicero’s father, is caught in the middle. She wants to help Cesar but wants to maintain goodwill with her father.

Besides Mayor Cicero, a greedy financial reporter named Wow Platinum (Audrey Plaza), and Catilina’s jealous cousin Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf) conspire to thwart Cesar’s plans for their selfish gain.

For a filmmaker with such a respected name, Coppola's career has seen its fair share of ups and downs, from the iconic “Godfather” trilogy to the critically panned “Jack” starring the late actor Robin Williams.

It’s been 13 years since Coppola last directed a movie and 15 years since he made one that critics and audiences both liked. At this point, it’s clear he has no one left to impress and couldn’t care less if moviegoers enjoy Megalopolis.

Over its two-hour runtime, the film presents the culmination of Coppola’s ideas: wealth, corruption, cults of personality, cancel culture, and more. It’s an ambitious concept from the legendary auteur. Unfortunately, what undermines the film is its uneven execution. The plot jumps abruptly from one thing to the next, making it hard to grasp Coppola's intended message in this mish-mash of ideas.

The actors seem to have different interpretations of their characters. Driver’s performance feels like an extension of his character from HBO’s “Girls”, who is an actor (also named Adam) playing the role of Catilina.

Plaza, on one hand, appears to act like she is in a comedy film, which is understandable given how campy her character Wow Platinum is, as if her karaoke-machine-sounding name doesn’t make it clear already. LaBeouf continues to insist that he is acting, rather than becoming the jealous maniac character. Coppola’s nephew Nicolas Cage could have given a better performance.

It’s hard to tell if Emmanuel’s character Julia is supposed to be the “normal” one in the mix or if her portrayal is just flat because of how one-noted her character is, which revolves entirely around men -- either her love interest or her father.

It's a shame to see such a talented cast not clicking as an ensemble. Driver's vulnerability and rage defined Kylo Ren in “Star Wars”, Plaza shines in both comedy and drama such as “Parks and Recreation” and “The White Lotus” respectively, and Emmanuel was a standout as Khaleesi’s translator Missandei in “Game of Thrones.”

The only actor who gives something close to an Oscar-worthy performance is Esposito, who subtly and gracefully plays an ambiguously moral character — though he isn’t a scene-stealer.

During its premiere at Cannes and other film festivals, the movie featured a fourth-wall-breaking scene where someone would stand in front of the projection screen and ask Catilina a question during a press conference scene, as though they were in a Zoom call with him.

In the film's Philippine release, the question was addressed to Catilina pre-recorded and off-screen. It’s probably for the best, as the stunt added little to the story — just a gimmick as pointless as a dedicated camera button on the latest iPhone.

One thing to commend is the film’s grand production design. For a film entirely funded by Coppola at $120 million, the budget was put to good use. The CGI can be noticeable in some scenes, but it’s forgivable given the lack of a distributor. But the opulent set design isn’t enough to mask the storytelling flaws.

Megalopolis’ polarized reception made it hard for studios to pick it up until Lionsgate stepped in as its U.S. distributor, with Coppola covering the marketing costs himself. Lionsgate’s affiliate, Pioneer Films (a.k.a. Viewers Choice Philippines), distributed the film in Philippine cinemas on September 27, two days before its U.S. release.

The film is a tough sell. Despite Coppola’s iconic status, the concept is alienating to the general audience. Cinephiles are aware of the movie’s vocal admirers and detractors since its Cannes premiere.

Because of this, it resorted to stunt marketing, with Coppola creating his own account on the film social media app Letterboxd to rate his film five stars, as well as releasing a controversial trailer that had blurbs later found to be fabricated.

As awards season approaches, Megalopolis will be remembered for being a love-it-or-hate-it film with a lot of negative baggage. Whether Coppola seeks an Oscar nomination for this remains unclear.

One thing is certain: Megalopolis is his passion project. He even sold part of his winery business to fund the film. Disillusioned with the Hollywood studio system, Coppola aimed to prove he could make the movie his way — free from executive interference. Its existence as a big-budget indie is his middle finger against the studio system.

Coppola already has a few bad films in his career, and “Megalopolis” won’t tarnish his legacy. He’s paid his dues in Hollywood, and his peers have honored him in return. But this film shows why his contemporaries, like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, have been more effective storytellers who successfully navigated the ever-changing studio system that Coppola so despises.

Cinephiles will still eagerly await Coppola's next film — if Megalopolis isn’t his last, and hopefully, it won’t come across as a vanity project. But perhaps it’s time to hang up his coat and let his children, Roman and Sofia, carry on the Coppola legacy. Two stars out of five.