I am really wondering if The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is out of touch with the moviegoers. When films like The People Vs. Larry Flint get snubbed on the nominations due to its subject manner and other films like The English Patient win the award for Best Picture because it seems to fit a kind of mold that The Academy seems to put out there perplexes me (I honestly believe that there were better films within that year). There is also the feeling that this also applies to certain people’s involvement in a film getting a “pass” straight to at least nominations if not wins, and this week’s film review really works into each and every one of these instances.
Megalopolis is the new film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and boasts an all-star cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Laurence Fishburne. Taking place in the city known as New Rome, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito) runs everything but seems to be threatened by a new pop star and artist in Cesar Catilina (Driver). As they struggle to be on top, Cesar also begins to have a relationship with Franklyn’s daughter, Julia (Emmanuel).
The positives here pretty much lie in the cast itself, which even features some solid cameos. The acting is fine, and the visuals are great; that’s pretty much the list there.
Honestly, Megalopolis feels like a mix of a futuristic Julius Caesar alongside The Hunger Games with a bit of Moulin Rouge in there. If that seems really weird, it is on the level of Knight of Cups, and at roughly two hours and fifteen minutes, half of the entire film could have been cut and would have still gotten the same result.
When I screened this film, there was also a live interview with Coppola where he talked about this film reflecting what is happening in our country today with its underlying story of how a great society can fall because of how the power struggles of a few, much like the Roman Empire. Simply put, Megalopolis is a poster child for “Oscar Bait”, and from what I can tell, The Academy will take that bait, even though it really will not be deserved. If you take this film and attach it to an unknown director, there is no way it would get the level of attention this has gotten, and given how different this is from just about everything else Coppola has done, it’s just too far out there.
I REALLY had trouble watching this film to the end if for no other reason that its attempt at a political statement. Megalopolis is one of those that has wound up with my non-coveted “Maze Runner Promise,” where it will make my Worst Ten Films list for 2024; in fact, this is my current leader for the “Golden Turkey Award” as the worst of them. I cannot in good conscience recommend this film in any way except for people trying to cure insomnia and I will NEVER watch it again!
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