By: Eric Omorogieva

Edited By: Alice Weldon

How often does one think about the Roman Empire? Francis Ford Coppola, the 85-year-old legendary director behind cinema classics like The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, often does. With a vision he’s pursued for over 40 years, creative control from studio interference, and pairing his thoughts on Rome and modern America, Coppola invested $120M of his own money to create his “epic fable” Megalopolis. He drew inspiration from forward-looking works like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and H.G Wells’ Things to Come (1936), hoping to serve a similar role in shaping cinema’s future. Despite the film’s polarized reception and commercial failure, its scale of ambition and execution of ideas is worth exploring.  

Megalopolis centers around the American Republic city of New Rome (inspired by New York) during a period of decline, corruption, and lack of innovation. Its protagonist, Cesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver), strives to build the utopian city of Megalopolis with his invention, Megalon, a revolutionary bio-adaptive material. Cesar’s creativity is capped by his unique ability to stop time. His rival, Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) is the mayor of the city and opposes Cesar’s plans. The film’s central conflict revolves around whether Cesar can achieve his vision amidst challenges from  wealthy old men who despise change. As time progresses , Cesar falls in love with Cicero’s daughter, Julie (Nathalie Emmanuel), and has run-ins with supporting characters like the reporter Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza) and Cesar’s jealous cousin Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf). 

The plot of the film is convoluted, and often loses focus of its setting and characters. Coppola aims for provocation and audacity rather than a coherent story. However, his central argument regarding a creative’s struggles to defeat conservative bureaucratic forces and innovate remains intriguing. By designing this grand amalgamation of Roman aesthetics layered on a futuristic New York City, Coppola finds a path to explore this famous comparison in some detail. New Rome mirrors the old republic’s issues of  greed, political division and neglect of the common citizen. Despite this, the city is not without hope. It requires a creative mind who can utilize the resources from those in power willing to give them a chance. “People don’t need dreams, they need help!” Cesar proclaims in the film. “We’re in need of a great debate about the future.” Cesar often poses these ideas as if he knows what’s best for all. In fact, creating Megalopolis would involve the destruction of poorer areas of the city, creating problems for citizens in need. 

Rome lingers in the narrative of Megalopolis through its striking similarities to the events of the Catilinarian Conspiracy of 63 BC, in which Lucius Sergius Catilina (Cataline) attempted to overthrow consuls Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Cesar Catalina plays the role of Cataline against Franklyn Cicero, who plays the role of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Additionally, Cesar’s first name alludes  to Julius Cesar, the great military general who led the Republic as a member of the First Triumvirate, and later became its dictator. Both instances in Rome’s history crossover with the demise of the republic and rise of an empire, explaining much of Cesar Catalina’s function in the film. Cesar self-appoints himself to represent the masses in the fight to revolutionize New Rome, rather than engaging with people or participating in a democratic movement. As New Rome falls, he hopes for Megalopolis to replace it. He possesses a super-human ability that makes him more than a creative,elevating him closer to the great status of Julius and Alexander. Is Cesar a man of the people or a rising dictator? 

Coppola leaves these questions open to interpretation, complicating the viewer’s understanding of his stance on the United State’s future. Despite his ambition and desire to make a film that is ahead of its time, many of his ideas are dated. With an edited, decades-old script, Coppola finds himself stuck in the past, surprisingly overlooking common debates on the current U.S. system such as wars, political division, and human freedoms. New Rome and the American Republic have no outlined principles, no foreign policy, or any platform to explain the context of its decline. Had these ideas been fleshed out in greater detail, the film’s outcome would likely have been far more successful. Despite this, Megalopolis is a fascinating experience, entertaining, and worth the attention of film fans worldwide.