Howdy! I've been meaning to see Megalopolis and I finally got around to it over this past weekend. Had it lasted longer in theaters, I'd've seen it on the big screen but that's okay. The living room TV was able to suffice. I heard about it months ago, not by watching a preview. I honestly don't know if there were standard previews for Megalopolis in theaters or elsewhere. No, I happened to read a blurb on Reddit about how this was Francis Ford Coppola's creative baby, that he was funding this very expensive passion project on his lonesome, that he wasn't letting a bunch of profit-minded execs limit him, and I was sold. No matter what the movie was about, I was going to see it. I support artists making art for art's sake, regardless of whether I actually knew who Francis Ford Coppola was. And, for the record, I still don't. Pop culture isn't really my jam.

I'm just going to say straight out I didn't love it. I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars, but I do think Megalopolis has a lot of potential.

It's about contemporary New York City but the United States of America is the Roman Empire, and New York City is Rome, the hub and capital, so far as I could tell. The story is introduced as a fable. For clarity, fables and fairy tales are similar but fables are meant to instill a moral lesson. The story revolves around an imaginative architect who happens to be the heir of a prestigious banking family, and his rival, the mayor of the city. The two have very different solutions to the issues plaguing the community, one looking to the future, while the other stands firmly in the present. These opposing figures are amongst the societal elites at a time when the haves are known for their depravity, and the have-nots are struggling to survive. Stylistically, the movie is surreal which makes for a nice change.

Without spoiling the plot, I will touch on my critiques.

First off, the dialogue is inconsistent. Characters lapse into long Shakespeare quotes, quotes of famous philosophers, and at one point, converse intimately in Latin. Some lines come off as awkward and forced, and I don't doubt the ability of the actors and actresses, so to me, the problem is with the script. Throughout, each character should have a standard style to their dialogue. They can be pretentious, and poetic, but that should be who they are all the time.

There are many subplots, and what-should-be major incidents in the story. The trouble is, some events lack a proper build up, while others, that should have catastrophic consequences, have none, with regards to what the audience witnesses. Yes, the audience can infer that such-and-such must result in suffering, calamity, but I do think that should be shown to some extent. One character is able to perceive the world, literally, supernaturally, as another does, though we've seen no reason why this should be the case. It seems arbitrary. There is a drastic, but not impulsive, action taken by a character we aren't familiar enough with to understand how they justify what should harm, not just them, but also those close to them. Another character changes their mind for no obvious reason about something they've risked everything betting against, in the past. The overall film conclusion is not very satisfying because the range of impact has only been hinted at. The pacing is rushed in places of interest, and slow to showcase scenes that feel unnecessary.

Then there are areas where the director could have trusted the audience more. We're all familiar with the concept of "bread and circuses." Perhaps the phrase could've been less literal in this film. As well, I think the story would be stronger for removing the various literary and philosophical quotes therein. A little show, don't tell, would have been preferable. There are surreal visuals and while I enjoy their inclusion in theory, they're repetitive, and I'd've gone for more variety or less such scenes.

The screen is divided into three windows during a couple of montages. One such montage included typical holiday imagery. I don't think the story was at all impacted by the inclusion of a variety of faiths. That additional film time would've been better allocated to showing the fall out of other major incidents.

I suspect that much of these issues can be fixed by revising the editing. Perhaps some of the quotes can be cut without hurting the plot, and hopefully there is footage showcasing what consequences didn't make it into the release.

I really wanted to like Megalopolis and I admire Francis Ford Coppola for seeing his passion project through. The overall message is fine even if it's expression is heavy-handed. I just think the film would benefit from bringing in a handful of outsiders for editing—not for profit. That ship has sailed. But to better emphasize the intended message. Those turning points, the climax, could've had greater emotional impact. The characters could have behaved more believably. The story could have made more sense while retaining those surreal visuals. And I hope there will be another cut wherein these issues have been resolved.

Thanks for stopping by! I drop a new blog post every Monday. Toodles!

Newsletter:

Howdy! I've been working on my NaNoWriMo novel manuscript, a YA dark fantasy retelling of Hansel & Gretal featuring Baba Yaga. It's set in a vague pre-Christian, pre-industrialization Slavic culture. Slavic fairy tales tend to happen in a place "far-far away," and I'm keeping to that. I will hit 50K words today, at which point I will scrap the first draft. The outline is in order and I'll be abiding by that with the second draft. Right now the manuscript is convoluted because I kept changing my mind on, well, everything.

I didn't get in to First Friday in downtown Bryan, but I am on the lookout for street fairs and vendor events between now and when I head to New York for the holidays. I will be selling art from my booth at Travis Fields in Bryan Texas from 12-3PM on Saturday, 12/7/2024.

What with NaNo winding down, I can focus on making painted woodburnings. The Nutcracker one, that I mentioned last week, is burned and just needs painting. I also plan to make a Matryoshka and probably pets and/or mushrooms. Maybe a "tree" angel.

I bought Haruki Murakami's new novel, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, when it released this past week, but I've held off on opening it until I'm done with my NaNo manuscript. Today's the day! I've managed to avoid reading any spoilers or reviews but I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by! I drop a Newsletter every Monday! Toodles!