Megalopolis review: Why this masterpiece doesn't deserve the hate

For 40 years, Francis Ford Coppola has been working on his passion project, the film Megalopolis.

Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel, the film showcases an artist's theatrical ability bred through a lifetime of creation. The picture follows Cesar Catalina, an architect, who wants to build a utopia after a catastrophic event but is opposed by his rival, Mayor Cicero, who wants to keep the status quo.

Upon release, this film was completely panned, with very few positive reviews coming out. However, I believe this film transforms the preconceived idea of what a film is. It twists all tropes of the genre to create a visually striking, metaphorical look at how we perceive our ever-changing civilisation that has never been seen before.

Coppola has always managed to see where cinema is headed years in advance. The Godfather rode the early waves of director-owned features, helping to pave the way for the cinema boom of the 70s. Apocalypse Now pushed filmmaking, and the crew’s minds, to the absolute limits, just to achieve perfection.

Megalopolis pushes film to the brink again. Coppola had to sell shares of his own wine company to self-finance the film so that he could have complete control over the outcome.  He knows what is in store for the future of film, and too many people are writing him off as a hack.

Adam Driver and Francis Ford Coppola Credit: gettyimages

Coppola manages to blend science fiction and Shakespeare to examine the relationships between humanity and its creations. We see this through Cesar’s attempt to create his utopia and his romantic relationship with Julia. The film shows how different facets of society deal with drastic change.

The film takes heavy inspiration from the theatre, more specifically the works of Shakespeare. In the scene which introduces Adam Driver’s character, he directly quotes from Hamlet. The film’s visual elements hark back to the stage, having more of a fluid feel than typical pictures. One scene that features this idea is when shadows of frightened people are shown silhouetted against skyscrapers, giving a grander visual scope to the situation more commonly found in stage productions.

At the end of the film, Cesar gives a heartfelt monologue to the people of New Rome on Civilization and how dreams of grandeur can lead to both innovation and alienation. The tone and body language of Adam Driver makes you picture Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar, where he gives a heartfelt monologue to the people of Rome after Caesar's murder. We see the allusion to theatre taken one step further in certain showings, as a person from the crowd stands up and talks directly to Catalina.

The film is full of notable performances, especially by Adam Driver who gives a masterclass with his long monologues and body language. A notable scene is his monologue near the end, in which he pulls you in and keeps you hooked for the full duration. John Voight and Dustin Hoffman, two seasoned film veterans, also give some great moments in their small roles.

Megalopolis flows seamlessly from one scene to another like a river, with title cards reminiscent of Roman plaques to guide us through each major part of the film. This also plays into the theatrical elements of the film, acting like a curtain drop to set up the next scene.

The picture is well-paced and doesn’t feel like a chore to sit through. Coppola does this by implementing techniques acquired through his legendary career, such as Dutch angles to convey a character’s uneasiness, low lighting to set a sombre mood and much more. The dramatic score keeps us engrossed, setting the mood for the film. Notably, The Map of Utopia takes you into the Roman empire and is reminiscent of great theatrical soundtracks.

Megalopolis is a film that cannot and will not happen again. It is truly something we have never seen before and quite possibly will never see again. From the production process to the fantastic visuals, Megalopolis is one of the most interesting films ever made and should be seen by everyone.