Megalopolis (2024, Francis Ford Coppola) is alive with the joy of the craft that Hollywood hasn’t seen since before the collapse of the studio system. It’s got the sparkling effervescent fresh sharp propulsion of escapist delights that in contrast make me yawn collapsing out of fatigue over all the Marvel, DC, LOTR, Avatar, Nolan and Villeneuve over-serious, bloated, way too long modern tentpoles (with the exception of maybe James Gunn, Taika Waititi and Barbie). And the reason it rises to the forefront of the pack here is because it knows how important it is to harness a frivolous means of entertainment with an underlying framing structure of what being an American feels like.
If you’re asking yourself why Megalopolis depicts NYC as a new Roman Empire, you’re asking the wrong questions. The point isn’t the why, it’s accepting that in movies this kind of imaginative premise can occur. And if it feels fun, why try to intellectualize a feeling? If you’ve left the movie wondering what Meglaon is, you’re asking the wrong questions. It’s a plot device. What do we know about it? It can be used as a material to design a dress that captures what it sees. It can infuse itself to create new living tissue to replace the broken leg of a small dog or half of Cesar Catalina’s face. So, it represents something like the progress people are capable of in advancing civilization through discoveries in the arts and sciences.
This is a personal film. And while its themes and questions are big, its story is simple. Its setting is confined to New Rome, and specifically the site of what’s to become Cesar’s new Megalopolis. Its characters are no more than the power elites embroiled in the struggle to adapt to where this leads. And what a beautiful narrative it is. Because amidst all that’s wrong with many of its characters, like the best of the classic Hollywood era, it has an uplifting ending. Megalopolis has got an old-fashioned sense of morality.
Because after Nush Berman is out of the way, Mayor Cicero is free to come clean about what really happened with the case of Cesar’s wife; and it no longer matters why he was so opposed to Cesar marrying his daughter. Their child, along with Megalon, along with Cesar’s utopia are all in service of the theme of a hope for the future of our civilization. Is that a little much? Great. It should be. Because that’s the kind of clear-eyed sentimental product the dream factory used to churn out. And I miss it. And on top of all that, for go for broke Coppola to throw in all of his philosophical querying truly brings this thing into the modern age of cinema. And it doesn’t matter anymore about all of the corruption, scandal, and shame; because, redemption access is easily bestowed upon Cesar, Cicero, and Crassus so we can all live happily ever after.
As for the art direction, I’ve always been one to prefer stylized artifice over bland naturalism/realism. With its lush gold/red/black hued palette, and ceaselessly eye-popping indulgence in everything fake, there’s a feeling of being in a world that exists as an expression of all that the creative potential of cinema is capable of achieving.
Last year the second I walked out of Oppenheimer, the first thing I thought was that I knew Robert Downey Jr. would win the Oscar for best supporting actor. I know it won’t happen in a million years, but this time I think Shia LaBeouf deserves it.
10/05/2024 AMC Phipps Plaza 14
Atlanta, GA
10/12/2024 Tara Theatre
Atlanta, GA
If you’re asking yourself why Megalopolis depicts NYC as a new Roman Empire, you’re asking the wrong questions. The point isn’t the why, it’s accepting that in movies this kind of imaginative premise can occur. And if it feels fun, why try to intellectualize a feeling? If you’ve left the movie wondering what Meglaon is, you’re asking the wrong questions. It’s a plot device. What do we know about it? It can be used as a material to design a dress that captures what it sees. It can infuse itself to create new living tissue to replace the broken leg of a small dog or half of Cesar Catalina’s face. So, it represents something like the progress people are capable of in advancing civilization through discoveries in the arts and sciences.
This is a personal film. And while its themes and questions are big, its story is simple. Its setting is confined to New Rome, and specifically the site of what’s to become Cesar’s new Megalopolis. Its characters are no more than the power elites embroiled in the struggle to adapt to where this leads. And what a beautiful narrative it is. Because amidst all that’s wrong with many of its characters, like the best of the classic Hollywood era, it has an uplifting ending. Megalopolis has got an old-fashioned sense of morality.
Because after Nush Berman is out of the way, Mayor Cicero is free to come clean about what really happened with the case of Cesar’s wife; and it no longer matters why he was so opposed to Cesar marrying his daughter. Their child, along with Megalon, along with Cesar’s utopia are all in service of the theme of a hope for the future of our civilization. Is that a little much? Great. It should be. Because that’s the kind of clear-eyed sentimental product the dream factory used to churn out. And I miss it. And on top of all that, for go for broke Coppola to throw in all of his philosophical querying truly brings this thing into the modern age of cinema. And it doesn’t matter anymore about all of the corruption, scandal, and shame; because, redemption access is easily bestowed upon Cesar, Cicero, and Crassus so we can all live happily ever after.
As for the art direction, I’ve always been one to prefer stylized artifice over bland naturalism/realism. With its lush gold/red/black hued palette, and ceaselessly eye-popping indulgence in everything fake, there’s a feeling of being in a world that exists as an expression of all that the creative potential of cinema is capable of achieving.
Last year the second I walked out of Oppenheimer, the first thing I thought was that I knew Robert Downey Jr. would win the Oscar for best supporting actor. I know it won’t happen in a million years, but this time I think Shia LaBeouf deserves it.
10/05/2024 AMC Phipps Plaza 14
Atlanta, GA
10/12/2024 Tara Theatre
Atlanta, GA
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