Megapolis’ premiere: film critics review Francis Ford Coppola’s movie

"Megalopolis" is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film. It was written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie recently premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it was chosen to compete for the Palme d'Or.

The film is set in a fictional modern America after a catastrophic event. It boasts a talented ensemble cast, including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.

"Megalopolis" has been a long-term passion project for Coppola. He initially came up with the idea in 1977 and began actively developing it in 1983. However, the film faced substantial delays and was canceled multiple times over the years.

In 2019, Coppola resurrected the project by investing $120 million of his personal funds into the film.

Indiewire has described the film as Coppola's boldest and most heartfelt attempt to capture time, suggesting that while he may not possess the imagination to create the new cinema his film desires, he has always recognized the necessity for it more keenly than his peers.

The review also characterizes "Megalopolis" as an attempt to condense 85 years of artistic admiration and romanticism into a clumsy, flashy, yet profoundly sincere statement about an artist's role at the decline of a civilization.

Deadline's review of the film was less favorable, describing it as “something of a mess,”and criticizing its unruliness, exaggeration, and tendency towards pretension.

Despite this, the review acknowledges the film as a remarkable achievement, comparing Coppola's mastery of Imax to Caravaggio's skill with a canvas, hailing it as a bold modern masterpiece that may provoke outrage with its audaciousness.

The film depicts an accident that devastates the deteriorating city of New Rome.

Cesar Catilina, an idealistic architect with the ability to manipulate time, seeks to reconstruct it into a sustainable utopia. Opposing him is the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who clings to a regressive status quo.

Caught between these forces is Franklyn's daughter, Julia, a socialite who, weary of her inherited influence, seeks to discover the purpose of her life.