MEGALOPOLIS – The Red Right Hand Movie Reviews [Matthew Stogdon]

Starring
Adam Driver
Nathalie Emmanuel
Giancarlo Esposito
Aubrey Plaza
Shia LaBeouf

Megalopolis is a loose interpretation of the Catilinarian conspiracy of ancient Rome, albeit set against the backdrop of modern day New York. In this fantasy hybrid, we’re introduced to powerful rivals: Mayor Francis Cicero [Esposito] and Cesar Catilina [Driver]. The two are at odds as to how the city of New Rome should be run, with one favouring cheap spectacle and the other believing the city can be rebuilt as a utopia. Matters are complicated further when Cesar engages in a relationship with the Mayor’s daughter, Julia [Emmanuel]. And all the while, various agents manipulate economic institutions and the will of the public, to improve their own status and tear down that of the current heads of society.

Given the above breakdown of the plot, you may find the concept of Megalopolis genuinely intriguing. And, in truth, the core basis of an allegorical interpretation of ancient civilisations for the purposes of drawing a parallel to modern society, can be incredibly strong. Take something like 1996’s Romeo + Juliet or the recent series Kaos. Both take very old, familiar bodies of work and repurpose them for a new audience. Hyper-stylised and unique, but true to themselves and, most importantly, coherent.

Unlike other professions, no one ever really retires from filmmaking. You simply stop or you die. As such, Coppola being absent from the screen for over a decade, only to reemerge with this vainglorious, bloated, meandering passion project shouldn’t really surprise anyone. Throughout the entire feature, the cast speak of works that stand for all time, and how a creative’s genius is never understood by contemporaries, either out of jealousy, ignorance, or lack of vision. And, in the most blunt way, Coppola believes he is Cesar. So as Driver slumps in the back of his car and laments about the death of empire not being a quick event, but a slow decline where people simply no longer turn up, Coppola is drawing a hamfisted parallel with directing and his own artwork. But, for all the moping and woe-is-me thrashing, the truth is, you can absolutely get away with bold, stylistic choices (like those in Dracula or Apocalypse Now) but only if the movie is good. And Megalopolis, in the most simplistic terms, isn’t. It’s an insanely aimless rambling experience that espouses the purity of artistic creation yet struggles to manifest it. From central characters dying in rushed, throwaway scenes, to this grand city of endless possibility boiling down to little more than curves and travelators.

And don’t get me started on the script. The plot is loose at best, the characters are unengaging, and the dialogue is abysmal. With lines like “you’re anal as hell. I on the other hand am oral as hell” and “don’t let the now destroy the forever” making it impossible for the audience to do anything but let out an audible laugh. And yet, in the right hands, you can absolutely craft a feature with pointedly obtuse dialogue and delivery. It’s a tool of intentionally obscure rhythm and cadence that artists like Yorgos Lanthimos, David Lynch or Darren Aronofsky employ all the time. But in the wrong hands, it just comes off as moronic.

So let’s get onto the performances, because therein lies an interesting oddity. See, despite so many notably bamboozling scenes (from entire blocks of Shakespearean soliloquies to sophomoric sex-charged encounters) the cast somehow come out unscathed. At the end of the film I was perplexed as to what I’d just seen, but at no point did I feel like this was going to mark the end of a specific actor’s career. Possibly because every actor feels like they’re in their own unique feature. Driver leans into the whole college drama teacher absurdity, dialling his entire performance up with every delivery, Esposito holds his own as a semi-grounded government official, Jon Voight embodies your typical geriatric billionaire, and LaBeouf is the only one whose daft cackling goes beyond that of the film’s ridiculous baseline.

But it’s the women who are dealt the worst hand here. Through these characters, Coppola unabashedly reveals his completely antiquated categorisation of women: either that of innocent virgins, self-serving seductresses, erratic mothers, or manipulative schemers. With little agency or drive outside of the machinations of partners and fathers, you end up with significant talents in laughable positions, fawning over incredibly dull men. And, in truth, that’s the crux of it. For it’s drug-addled qualities, odd CGI, bombastic swords-and-sandals score, and flamboyant execution, the entire film is remarkably dull.

Granted, there will be defenders of this movie – those who insist that it’s an auteur’s most misunderstood or underappreciated work (like A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Miller’s Crossing or Blow Out) – when in actuality, Megalopolis is like the worst, most nonsensical, neverending perfume commercial. Replete with Dunning-Kruger level dialogue and shiny hollow visuals. Making the whole experience utterly repellent. Is it unwatchable? No. But not for lack of trying.

Release Date:
27 September 2024

The Scene To Look Out For:
The only scene I can think to highlight is the various key players stood on a walkway over a model of the city of New Rome. With both Cicero and Cesar presenting their visions for how the city, society as a whole, and the entirety of mankind should progress. And the reason I highlight this early exchange is because it’s the moment where any form of generosity or suspension of disbelief is eroded. No matter how concerted your efforts are to enjoy this movie, by this stage, you’re either completely out or beyond help.

Notable Characters:
The only two actors who possess the manic energy and heightened delivery to seemingly sit comfortably in this film are Shia LaBeouf and Aubrey Plaza. I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult, or simply an admission that these two actors threw themselves into the performance and were happy to be moulded by Coppola’s inconsistent style and tones. But they certainly did what was asked of them.. for better or worse.

Highlighted Quote:
“Fuck your stupid megalopolis!”

In A Few Words:
“A spectacularly disjointed mess of a feature that is as baffling as it is laughable.”

Total Score: 1/5

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