‘Megalopolis': Boos, and Some Cheers, Greet Coppola's Ambitious WTF Statement [Cannes] — World of Reel
"What on earth was that?"
As I was leaving the DeBussy cinema after the showing of Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis", I overheard something interesting. Apparently, initially, the Cannes press reacted with disapproval as the movie's end credits began to appear, but everything changed when an "In Memoriam" title card dedicated to Coppola's wife, Eleanor, who had passed away, was displayed on the screen. At that moment, the boos immediately turned into cheers.
The movie "Megalopolis" is set in an unrealistic world where the characters behave in questionable ways. It is uncertain whether the movie is either the most expensive experimental movie or an epic failure. It is difficult to determine which category the movie belongs to as opinions differ among people at Cannes. Some say it is a failure while a few others believe it is an experimental movie.
I was certainly not disinterested in the insane concept and irrational decisions made by the characters. Coppola's movie is incredibly bold and remarkable in its intensity. What was the overall message? Were the performances and script intentionally over-the-top? How can Adam Driver have the ability to freeze time? Is it possible that Coppola, now 85, has gone crazy? The story unfolds like a bizarre and surreal fantasy.
In the movie "Megalopolis," the main character is Caesar, an architectural genius who is in emotional turmoil. The story is narrated by Lawrence Fishburne's character, who quotes from biblical and Roman sources. The heart of the film is the love story between Caesar and Julia, played by Natalie Emmanuel. However, tensions arise because Julia is the daughter of Caesar's political rival, Giancarlo Esposito. Caesar has a grand vision for rebuilding New York City into a self-sustaining utopia with advanced technology, but the mayor disagrees and wants to maintain the status quo. He fears that Caesar's plans will lead to chaos.
In the movie, Caesar has a rival love interest named Wow Platinum, played by Aubrey Plaza. Despite the absurd name, Wow is portrayed as a promiscuous woman who is after Caesar's wealth. She becomes jealous when Caesar's true love interest, Julia, enters the picture and decides to plot against Caesar with the help of wild playboy Clodio Pulcher, played by Shia LaBoeuf in drag. In a surprising twist, Jon Voight makes an appearance as billionaire Hamilton Crassus III, Clodio's grandfather. Wow manages to trick Hamilton into marrying her with plans to annul the prenup and ultimately kill him. Despite this, Hamilton does not seem to be deterred and shows her his large erection.
In the cinema, something really captivating happened when the lights inside the building turned on unexpectedly. An actor then appeared on stage and acted as a journalist, conversing with Caesar like they were in a press conference. This was an extraordinary example of theatre and cinema mixing together. I personally enjoyed this moment, and the spectators also gave an enthusiastic round of applause once it concluded.
The movie "Megalopolis" has elements of crazy science experiments, mystical occurrences, cheesy moments, intense actions, and love stories. The story is told from the perspective of those in power and the upper class individuals. Despite this, the filmmaker, Coppola, seems to focus more on big concepts rather than developing the characters themselves. In fact, these concepts are what dominate the entire movie.
The movie is visually impressive, with vibrant and luxurious colors. It brings to mind Coppola's stunning 1981 film "One From the Heart." In this film, he takes a lot of risks by layering an endless stream of images on top of each other. You've never seen anything quite like it before. He seems to be pushing the boundaries of how movies are traditionally told and viewed.
The film made by Coppola truly pushes boundaries and it's difficult for me to fully understand it just a few hours after watching it. It's important to note that it's not made for commercial purposes and it's unlikely to attract a large audience. However, this doesn't matter as it breaks traditional storytelling norms and stands out as one of the most unique American films I have seen in a while.
In the film called "Megalopolis", Coppola shares his own personal thoughts with us, encouraging us to contemplate important issues such as our legacy, the longevity of our kind and how we can strive towards creating a better world for generations to come. While some of his unconventional concepts succeed, others may fall short. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that this movie is extremely ambitious, daring and chaotic at times - showcasing the epitome of filmmaking.
The latest news is that the film has received a score of 38% from Rotten Tomatoes and 62 from Metacritic.
