Megalopolis (15) |Close-Up Film Review
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Lawrence Fishburne
Review by Matthew Morlai Kamara
Fishburne has consistently embodied characters with a commanding presence, whether in award-winning roles or blockbuster films. Seeing his name in the credits triggered a rush of excitement, almost like a throwback to when he guided Neo through the complexities of the digital world. But this time, the setting was far from the matrix—it was a sprawling Roman-inspired epic in which Fishburne plays Fundi Romaine, Cesar’s right hand man and narrator of the story
Megalopolis is a Roman fable set in a reimagined modern America, where the city of New Rome faces a crucial turning point. At the heart of the conflict is Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a visionary artist pushing for a utopian future. Standing in his way is Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), a staunch defender of a corrupt and regressive status quo, entrenched in greed and political strife. Caught in this ideological tug-of-war is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar causes her to question her loyalties and what she believes humanity truly deserves.
Despite the visual grandeur and star-studded cast, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something crucial was missing. Watching Megalopolis was like unwrapping a long-awaited Christmas gift only to be disappointed by its quality. The film is visually stunning, with bold ideas on screen, but the script is uneven, and the story feels disjointed. Even two coffees and a doughnut couldn’t keep me focused on the increasingly tangled plot.
Some performances do shine, particularly from Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, and not forgetting Shia LaBeouf, who is electrifying as Clodio Pulcher. But overall, Megalopolis falls short of its lofty ambitions. Francis Ford Coppola’s grand vision is clear, but despite that vision, Megalopolis feels like a puzzle with several missing pieces, preventing it from reaching its full potential.
While visually captivating and backed by an exceptional cast, the film struggles to fit its many narrative threads together cohesively. Those missing pieces of the zigzag puzzle leave the story feeling incomplete, in frustrating contrast to its bold artistic ambitions. The movie hints at greatness but never quite assembles into the epic it strives to be.
