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Writer's pictureJacob Hirsch

Megalopolis Review

Updated: Oct 1



 

I think I came up with a fun spin for these reviews. Do you see the picture of me in the thumbnail? That’s a selfie I took right as the movie ended—my immediate reaction as the credits rolled and the lights came up. I think I’m going to do this for all my reviews from now on. Kind of fun, right?


So, Megalopolis. WOW. Where to begin?


Well, as a bit of background, I can’t say I’m a huge Francis Ford Coppola fan. I appreciate The Godfather films, but I wouldn’t call them “the greatest pieces of cinema ever made.” Same with Apocalypse Now. Coppola has undeniably left his mark on the industry, so I never felt he needed to make a "final statement." But he did, and because he had the means to do so, and gave it the ‘ol slugger's try,’ I give him kudos.


But, holy moly, this was a BIG SWING.


Minor Spoilers ahead.


For starters, this was somehow one of the most visually interesting yet ugliest movies I’ve ever laid eyes on. The stylistic mashup of an art deco New York City mixed with Ancient Rome to create a dystopian future was inspiring. The world Coppola set up in the first 30 minutes was almost enchanting—somewhere I’d want to visit. But there seemed to be no apparent narrative weight behind the style, other than a thin allegory. A great comparison is 2023’s Poor Things. That film merged past design aesthetics to create a world that felt both familiar and distant, setting a consistent tone from start to finish. Megalopolis’s aesthetic, on the other hand, felt like it devolved into self-parody. What started with Adam Driver in a uniquely designed suit and cape (reminiscent of Julius Caesar’s robes) ended up with Shia LaBeouf wearing Nazi-era military garb under a Roman breastplate. It felt hollow. Sadly, this sense of hollowness lingered throughout the rest of the film.


I love weird films that make you think. They’re some of my favorites, even if I don’t enjoy them while watching. If a movie sticks with me and I find myself contemplating its message for days or weeks, I usually end up appreciating it more in retrospect. So with that in mind, I was kind of excited to see Megalopolis. I knew it was getting mixed reactions, but I also knew there had to be more to it than the trailers were showing. As my favorite film pundit (and inspiration for this blog), John Campea, always preaches: I left all expectations at the door and went in with an open mind. And to be honest, I’ve been thinking about this movie for three days now. But instead of pondering the unique story or message Coppola was trying to convey, I’ve been stuck thinking about how he missed the mark on ALL of it. This movie felt like six or seven different GREAT ideas mashed together. While watching, I kept thinking, “Ah, so THAT’S what this is about!” only for it to shift gears and dive into another high-concept topic.


These concepts were:

  1. A cautionary allegory comparing modern-day NYC to Ancient Rome and it’s demise.

  2. A tortured artist who can stop time—either literally or metaphorically—and the muse who energizes him.

  3. A satirical comedy mocking the upper class and the far right in American politics.

  4. A commentary on show business, deepfakes, and the sexual paradox forced on child stars.

  5. A Driving Miss Daisy-esque tale from the perspective of a wise, all-knowing driver (Laurence Fishburne).

  6. Immersive Theater: The Movie!

  7. A film bro subreddit where people post their favorite quotes from their senior year film school final project.


Most (emphasis on most) of these would have made really interesting films on their own. But I get it—Coppola had a lot to say and not a lot of people holding him back, so we ended up with a mosh pit of ideas. Oh well.


This jumble of concepts made the performances feel off, too. It felt like each actor was acting in a different movie. Adam Driver was GOOD, but sometimes he delivered lines in completely bizarre ways (“go back to the cluuhuubb”). Nathalie Emmanuel was atrocious, which is a shame because she’s been GREAT in the other few projects else I’ve seen her in. I can only blame Coppola and his "vision" for this, because I know she’s capable of much more. Shia LaBeouf and Aubrey Plaza were the highlights for me, but they were too zany compared to the tone of the rest of the movie. Chloe Fineman felt like she was acting in some weird, unwanted incestual porno. Giancarlo Esposito and Laurence Fishburne brought their respective expected greatness, though both felt underused. And Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman seemed to be there for a random Midnight Cowboy reunion (or, for me, an even more random Holes reunion between Voight and LaBeouf). So yeah, stacked cast—but no rhyme or reason to it.


I DID appreciate Coppola’s attempt at “reinventing cinema.” Interactive film has been brewing for a while. Netflix did a great job with the “choose your own adventure” Black Mirror episode, Bandersnatch, though they’ve struggled to replicate that success. In live performance, immersive theater and other interactive experiences have been the hot craze over the past few years. (Side note: If you have a chance to see Sleep No More before it closes, I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.)

I APPRECIATE Coppola’s attempt to push boundaries with the concept of an interactive screen, but it just didn’t work. This has been talked about at length by other reviewers, but here’s my experience: At one point, the lights go up, and Adam Driver is supposed to answer a question from an audience member. In my theater, this amounted to a sad AMC employee standing in front of the screen while the movie kept playing. The question was already embedded in the audio of the movie! Everyone in the theater looked around, confused. And I went to the “ultimate experience” screening! (Note: Hi, I’m currently reediting this review, and I’m now hearing there may have been different screenings with different names for different experiences. I’m not sure how “the Ultimate experience differs from these other ones, but it shouldn’t be this confusing to figure out what kind of screening I’m in.) I read that Coppola originally wanted to develop a new kind of screen that uses AI to interact with the audience (like the Crush from Finding Nemo experience at Disney World?) But theaters told him this tech wasn’t achievable yet. In that case, he should’ve just dropped the idea entirely. It’s a cool concept, but keeping it in just made Megalopolis an even more confusing film than it already was.


Now, I KNOW that in a few years, there will be some cult fanbase that screams “You just didn’t get itttt!” But I did and I’m sure many others will too, Coppola spells out his message at every chance he gets. Every other line of dialogue was some over-the-top profound claim that when put together, the actual messages got muddied and lost. Coppola was just trying to say too much. And here’s the kicker—Francis Ford Coppola is a multi-millionaire. He sold his winery to make this film. What does he know about the bottom class? It felt out of touch for him to be preaching some of these themes when he’s part of the group he’s critiquing. At the time of writing this review, the movie has grossed about $4 million—just 3.3% of its absurd $120 million budget (not counting the marketing, which usually doubles the cost). That lost money could’ve gone anywhere else. And while I get that an artist ignoring the struggles of a community to create over-the-top “art” is literally the plot of the movie, that doesn’t make it right. If anything, it makes me worried about Coppola’s outlooks on life and the empathy he appears to completely lack.


All in all, Megalopolis was a disappointment. With such a big-name director giving his final statement on the medium, top-tier actors, and complex themes, I expected something more thought-out and coherent.


But hey, that’s just my take. The beauty of art is its subjectivity! So go watch Megalopolis and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!


-Jacob Hirsch Reviews

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