Last Updated on September 27, 2024 by
Megalopolis is a 2024 Sci-Fi Epic Movie Directed and written by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel, with a 2h 18M runtime, and was released on September 27, 2024.
The Godfather. The Conversation. The Godfather Part II. Apocalypse Now. These are four legendary films all directed by Francis Ford Coppola and the films are among the best in the history of American movies. These movies were made in succession, within only seven years that Coppola became one of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers. That is typically where most individuals would take a break, but 85-year-old Coppola has not stopped challenging himself. Megalopolis, his latest movie, is the perfect example of what I am trying to explain. This demonstrates how even in his later work, Coppola is still thinking on a grand scale and challenging himself.
Megalopolis is a bizarre, extraordinary, and highly evocative attempt at science fiction that Coppola has been developing for forty years. He funded it personally and it is quite possibly the most unique film out there. Surprisingly, the audiences are already having a lot of conversation based on the film with some embracing it while others cannot even stand it. This coincides with the fact that it is a rather philosophical movie that raises such issues as time, history, and the degree of extremity of the contemporary world. In a way, it also contains a dimension of Coppola’s biography and his film-making experience.
There is one thing that is for sure, Megalopolis can never be described as dull. The rich boys use highbrowed language and often quote Shakespeare or make proclamations that they read Marcus Aurelius. Braverman has set the movie in a world full of power, money, and political themes, similar to the real successional drama TV series. It occurred in a city of New Rome of the future in which strange designs make people think of ancient Rome and the film ‘Metropolis’ by Fritz Lang.
Spoiler Alert: The following summary contains major spoilers for the movie Megalopolis. If you haven’t seen the film yet and want to avoid plot details, please stop reading now.
The story centered on an idealistic architect Cesar Cataline portrayed by Adam Driver, who is struggling to reconstruct New Rome with a material of his invention that is magical and transformable in shape. However, he is challenged by the city’s mayor, Franklin Cicero portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito who is conflicted between helping the people or ensuring the rotting city remains operational. Other characters are competing for power; Wow Platinum, an aspiring TV personality, portrayed by Aubrey Plaza, and Cloudio, a foolish yet violent cousin of Cicero, portrayed by Shia LaBeouf who resembles a certain Donald Trump like persona. The movie delivers starred guest appearances by the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.
What you would come to anticipate from a Coppola movie is the stunning cinematography that is seen in Megalopolis. The concept that Coppola uses is certainly futuristic but still manages to look as if it could breathe, grow, and be real – and it incorporates real-life places like New York City with some filmed not long after the 9/11 tragedy.
The main thing that can confuse a watcher is the plot, it might be quite intricate during the first view. Some powers of the character are unexplained, for example, Cesar has the power to stop time, but, this feature was never elaborated on. Not much is depicted about his side of the story concerning his mother, dead wife, and scandal that seems to define his character. However, it directs relatively more focus towards the love interest of his character, the daughter of the mayor, played by Nathalie Emmanuel.
But while the movie doesn’t always follow the typical character development you see in big-budget films, that’s part of what makes it interesting. Coppola, who has dreamed of making Megalopolis since the 1980s, is not just reviving old stories or characters from that era. Instead, he’s taking a bold step into new territory, showing that creativity means taking risks. At one point in the movie, Cesar says, “When we leap into the unknown, we prove that we’re free.” This line feels like a message from Coppola himself, encouraging the audience to leap with him into something different and exciting.
For comparison, let’s briefly talk about some other recent films. The Outrun is based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot and tells the story of a young woman named Rona (played by Saoirse Ronan) who is battling alcoholism. The film uses a non-traditional structure, flashing back and forth through time to show her memories of addiction and her recovery in the wild Orkney islands. It avoids typical addiction movie clichés and instead focuses on the emotional journey of rebuilding a life.
Then there’s My Old Ass, a coming-of-age movie with a twist. It’s about a gay teenager named Maisy (played by Maisy Stella), who meets her future self (Aubrey Plaza). While most coming-out stories are about struggling with identity, this one flips the script: Maisy is already confident in her sexuality, but her older self warns her about falling for a guy she should avoid. The film starts with bold themes like drugs and sex but quickly shifts towards a more sentimental and family-friendly tone, similar to a Nicholas Sparks story.
Each of these films is different, but like Megalopolis, they challenge traditional storytelling in their ways.
Megalopolis 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Megalopolis is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for sexual content, nudity, drug use, language, and some violence.
Megalopolis MOVIE PLOT FULL SUMMARY and parents’ guide will be updated closer to the release date (September 27, 2024.), so check back.
