TIFF 2024: Megalopolis Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The following is a review from the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

With Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola brings a passion project, over 40 years in the making, first premiering at this past Cannes Film Festival and now TIFF. To fund his most ambitious work yet, Coppola sold his wineries for $120 million. Acting as a parallel between Roman conflicts and the political scheming of modern America, it follows Cesar Catilina (Driver), an ambitious architect who is looking to rebuild New Rome after a devastating disaster. However, his ambitions are caught in the crosshairs by the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito). Meanwhile, his daughter Julia (Emmanuel) found herself torn between her father’s regressive actions and Cesar’s idealist plans.

Coppola’s bold move to self-fund an entire blockbuster budget himself undoubtedly translates to the screen as if watching the most authentic blockbuster in recent years. Through the film’s successes and struggles, audiences will find resolution to the knowledge that his voice is unsilenced in delivering his full vision to the screen. Once the film starts, it becomes jarringly clear that one is watching a stylized independent film as if a student director is working with A-list actors and a blockbuster budget. As seen in some of Coppola’s recent directorial efforts, he attempts a back to basics approach as if he is reexperimenting with his filmmaking tools. He uses this film as an opportunity to showcase a riveting film experience through these techniques, including dynamic split screen editing, classical cinema-inspired backdrops, intriguing VFX choices, and an unexpected interactive segment.

Megalopolis weaves a meandering narrative that grows very apparent as Cesar’s conflicts between his adversaries, his family, and his love interests intertwine in an unfocused juggle with his ambitious ideas to build a better world. As the film progresses, the lack of a leading character is present as Driver fades in and out of the story, paving the way for Emmanuel’s turmoil, Laurence Fishburne’s narration, and many of the characters’ eclectic behavior. Much of this ensemble cast play into their caricatures, which can serve as a deal-breaker for the audience. This choice can come off as a lack of tonal focus, however, it instead serves as a satirical depiction of these personalities in a Roman setting while reinforcing this parallel to that of modern times withing the media and the world as a whole.

In the end, Coppola’s bold move to self-fund and create an ambitious blockbuster like Megalopolis should be enough for audiences to get invested in his flawed and eccentric vision.

still courtesy of Lionsgate

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Costa Christoulas

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