REVIEW: ‘Megalopolis’ is a mega misstep for Coppola

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film was an ambitious project, huge in scope and scale. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit of an unmitigated disaster

“Megalopolis” is a film that blends political drama and science fiction. The movie is set in the sprawling city of New Rome, the epicenter of the American Republic. Outwardly, it has all the looks of New York City, but inside, it has aesthetics and fashion reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The film centers on Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect hoping to build a biomechanical utopia via new technology. He’s challenged, though, by Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and his cousin Clodio (Shia LaBeouf). Though he has support from his uncle Crassus III (Jon Voight).

The philosophical notion of the United States of America being the new Roman Empire has been circulating in discussions about the country’s past and future for a while now. It’s a premise that can be brought up to explore the nation’s foreign policy and its potential decline. This is something that has even been brought up in other films.

Notably, it was directly referenced with one-to-one comparisons in Michael Moore’s film “Capitalism: A Love Story.” Released in 2009 the movie hit theaters after two terms of President George W. Bush which saw two wars and the start of the Great Recession.

Even then, it had already become somewhat of an old talking point, and Moore’s film only really used it as a short hook to get the movie going.

The point is, the whole comparing America to the Roman Empire is a talking point that’s dated, and honestly, oversimplifies the problems of each nation. Sadly, that comparison is basically the entire concept at play in Coppola’s two hour and 18-minute picture, and it is the largest detriment present.

The very first scene of “Megalopolis” makes the comparison, and from there, blends political hot topics of today, with the back-stabbing and excess of the wealthy in old Rome. On top of the comparison being rather stale, the approach is done with little subtlety.

Everything from the gap between the wealthy and poor, to the inclusion of what are practically Trump supporters causing civil unrest, as well as an underlying rot in the government is included, but it feels surface level. One could argue the Capitol in “The Hunger Games” franchise did it better than this.

Plus it’s presented in bizarre ways in several scenes. One example is a moment in the film’s second act when Madison Square Garden appears, and it’s supposed to be like the Coliseum. At first glance, a viewer expects to maybe see a mixed martial arts fight as a stand-in for gladiator fighting, or even just another standard, modern sporting event.

Instead, it’s just old-school wrestling and chariot races. It’s a questionable decision to make this a modern setting with advanced technology, but not include that in the entertainment sector, when it would have made much more sense.

There are other strange choices, too, such as people carrying a Confederate flag, which would imply that this nation went through a similar, if not the same, history as America. That in turn makes a person question why this is Rome in the first place when it’s basically New York City.

On top of a lot of eye-rolling because of its social commentary , the movie is also a complete narrative mess. It meanders through familial drama, populist uprisings and romances with political implications, with nothing truly gelling. None of the stories are that compelling, and they’re thrown together haphazardly, rather than being nicely intertwined.

Much of the reason it seems like nothing came together well is because Coppola was trying to force two premises together that on their own could work, but don’t complement each other combined. It becomes evident as the film goes on that the two ideas here could maybe have been fine as individual m0vies.

A science fiction film about an inventor, in this case Adam Driver’s character, pushing ahead with his utopian vision with a new technology, even if his efforts are controversial and may come at the expense of the poor, could work fine as its own picture. As could a more streamlined political and/or business drama set in a modern Rome-like society.

However, the effort by Coppola and company to bring both together causes the film to be convoluted and bloated. It should also be noted that the implications of the protagonist’s technology are somewhat vague, even as it’s implemented more over the course of the picture.

Cesar’s journey isn’t a particularly good one either. He’s given, for some reason, the ability to stop time, which makes for some interesting visuals, but doesn’t mean much for the character’s arc. His eventual romance with the mayor’s daughter and his complicated familial relationships don’t resonate emotionally either. Much of the connections in general also feel rather artificial.

This may be a result of many people in the film being exaggerated, over-the-top characters. The personalities featured, from Aubrey Plaza’s TV anchor Wow Platinum to Shia LeBeouf’s portrayal of the mischievous schemer Clodio, all have characteristics that are amplified, making them appear more as caricatures.

To an extent, it’s apparent that Coppola wanted the characters to be somewhat exaggerated to capture the excessiveness of the Roman state, even having some moments be tongue-in-cheek. But It’s overdone, making some scenes hard to take seriously and others overly melodramatic.

To the film’s slight credit, Driver fully commits to his role and he makes a mighty effort to create a memorable lead character. Cesar doesn’t always work, but Driver’s acting chops always shine through. The film also has some visually captivating moments, where the sense of scale is really on display.

However, in the end, this film is still a wreck for the most part. There’s talent in front of and behind the camera, yet it does little to help make any of this picture work. 1.5 out of 5.