It’s crazy because quite a few people walked out of my theatre, and many others were having such a good time. And I think I share sentiments with both parties haha there was a lot I loved like the blend of architecture between Ancient Rome and New York, Adam Driver’s performance, Aubrey Plaza’s line delivery, many of the visuals, a lot of the comedy, and just how epic and ambitious the whole thing felt. But on the flip side, the visual effects were really cheap-looking on such a high budget, the dialogue often feels dull and awkward, and the major themes don’t get as much depth or focus as I wished. A very up and down experience for me haha but I don’t regret seeing this at all, I’m always happy to see something this bold in a movie theatre
I think this movie is BOTH wayyyy overstuffed (like 250% as many ideas as it can fill in its runtime) yet also very extremely intentional and well done in a lot of ways. I could go into it and just rant for paragraphs and paragraphs but the stuff about Cesar-as-Coppola (and generally representing all creators' mission to create in the face of opposition) and the way characters and plot weren't "normal" characters and plot, but more like a fable, with characters being mouthpieces for philosophical opinions and sometimes straight up reciting poetry and literature really clicked FOR ME. I understand why most audiences would HATE this and find it boring though.
@@lucasblue20 The visual effects were perfect. As someone who has been watching movies for almost 40 years and works in the field we need to stop caring about 'the effects were bad' in the same way you don't really care if the print is smudged in a paperback. It's a media product, a vessel for a message, stop caring about the packaging and start caring about what's in said package.
Yep, WOW 'fer sure, and this is probably the most helpful of all the reviews have read so far... Grazie! Coppola's humanistic ideal kinda reminds me of that quote by Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog... “We are as gods and might as well get good at it".
I went through the film realizing there was a LOT I wasn't understanding. This wasn't disappointing. It was exhilarating knowing that there were so many mysteries for me to uncover. I feel sorry for those who saw this film and didn't have the strength to admit "I don't understand this." It is just so much easier to call something you don't understand stupid.
When teachers (or filmmakers) rely on overly complex language or concepts to impress rather than to communicate, they risk obscuring the material. This can make it challenging for students (or audiences) to understand essential ideas, ultimately diminishing their ability to be influenced by the content. Truly exceptional filmmakers focus on making an impact.
@@gamezswinger The problem with condensing concepts into easily digestible packets is that it tends to leave the learner feeling as though they thoroughly understand the subject. IMO, the world would be a much better place if people came down off of Dunning-Kruger's "Peak Stupid" and started living in the "Valley of Despair".
I just saw the film today, and was quite impressed with it. Your analysis helped me appreciate some of the things I found confusing about the story. I'm looking forward to seeing the film again.
It's a masterpiece, just as "Kiss Me Deadly" was purported to have been the first film of the Atomic Age, Megalopolis is the first film of the Collapse of the American Empire. Disjointed, fragmented, manic, cartoonish, a mirror of our society. This is the film of a culture utterly bereft of meaning and mythology. I loved it!
Not true. A lot of films in the past have tackled the fall of the American Republic/Empire or are allegories/metaphors about the same topic. Films like Southland Tales, Revenge of the Sith, most of the Living Dead films, Us, Alex Garland’s Civil War, American Psycho, Olympus Has Fallen, The Purge films, Vice, The Manchurian Candidate, Watchmen, and even Coppola’s two earlier films touch on these themes in The Conversationalist and Apocalypse Now.
@@moonriseking1099 Most of the listed films are at best tangentially related, often entirely unrelated, but more to the point, just as 'Kiss Me Deadly' wasn't literally the first film to feature the nuclear element while holding the title, as it were, of the first of the Age, 'Megalopolis' is the first to "get it right," to give full expression of the posthuman TicToc era, capturing the sheer banality and insanity of a culture with utterly dead myths, unable to generate new ones, a culture so deeply in decline that when a mirror was held up against it (Megalopolis), all it could do was to say, "When is the new Marvel movie coming out?"
I really love your breakdowns. How you uncover the deeper meanings and interweave the intentions of the film makers through their own words. I get so tired of reviewers who hate on a movie just because it's not fed to them like infant formula. I'm so glad there continues to be a few visionary directors who take great personal risk in order to bring thought provoking art to cinema.
This is so kind and I’m super thrilled you enjoy the filmmaker quotes because I too love to hear from them, thank you! And totally agree, whether I love the film or am mixed on it, it’s always a pleasure to see a vision this ambitious in the theatre
Good catch. I thought that was the weakest part of this otherwise excellent breakdown. It is way more complicated than that but you could say it had times when it was more republican and democratic and times when it was more authoritarian and oligarchic.
First of all, Lucas, I must say your analysis was really, well there’s no other word for it…brilliant. Having such a comprehensive knowledge of the source historical material really put more of a logical spin on the film. I went to see it (before I watched your video obviously) and got lost in the spectacle. It didn’t matter to me that I fully grasped the story. The abstraction of it all was hypnotic. The visuals, it goes without saying, were beyond eye candy. Still, I wanted to understand more about it because a second and possible third viewing is definitely in the plan. Your breakdown will have me enjoying it on a whole different level the next time I see it. People are getting in such a twist about whether or not it’s good or a dud but, look, Coppola paid for the entire thing and it’s his vision. For those who said he got it wrong, I’m sorry, but that’s just arrogant. It’s his vision…hello? He doesn’t owe us anything.
Thanks for the analysis. Coppola put his all into this film, you can feel his passion, so people ought to check their cynicism enough to appreciate that at least. I believe this movie will gain cultural favor with time.
I LOVED this film although I was greatly perplexed after the first viewing, after the second viewing it started coming into focus and this explanation just crystallized most of it for me. Visually this film is stunning and needs to be seen in IMAX. I LOVE your analysis, thank you so much.
Thanks for this great review, by far the best I’ve seen. Absolutely this was about the Roman Republic, not the empire. All the main characters are based on participants active in Rome during the period of the Cataline Conspiracy. Being a history fanatic, I recognized this and had no problem grasping what was going on and I loved the film. I can fully understand how most people walking in without that knowledge would be lost. Too bad they didn’t see this video before attending.
thank you for this, the film feels so much clearer now; you gave it the context i needed to help place it and hence find meaning! i also appreciated your eloquence and diction ^^ will keep an eye out for your other analyses~
I got home from watching it and I searched on youtube and found a load of negative looking reviews, I skipped past those and found yours. Aside from the intellectual aspect which I must confess I know little about, I found this film to be extremely uplifting! Most films try to evoke the emotions of fear or desire out of their audience both of which are somewhat painful. This film instilled some real positive sentiment inside of me. What surprised me most was that I was entertained the whole way though. Usually I get restless and start hoping for the film to finish but the pacing of this film was perfect. Thanks for providing some meaning behind what I just watched. I expect there's tons more and I look forward to seeing it again.
Thanks for the thoughtful discussion! Most other reviewers seemed very angry about this movie and didn't even try to apply any analysis whatsoever. I don't think it was great, but I really appreciated seeing something fresh and different.
The movie needs to be seen many times. When I first watched it, I had to remind myself many times that this is art, not a commercial product. It strays from the formulaic recipe, which can be repulsive to some people. I wonder if there will ever be an extended cut.
I thought it was a good movie I think people are so accustomed to blockbuster schlock and aren't open to anything else. Artistic vision is supposed to be saved for streaming services and smaller productions they're looking to see a simple movie in theaters that they can just turn off their brain and not engage with it. It's not a perfect movie and certainly not the Godfather but it's refreshing to see directors make the movie they want to make and not based purely on returns.
Thank you so much for this. So many "reviews" slamming the movie are obtuse and miss the entire point of the film. It was an absolutely stunning masterpiece and that speech at the end had me in tears. So beautiful.
Sometimes, audiences overlook flaws in a film due to their admiration for the director, leading them to accept or excuse poor craftsmanship in favor of their affection for the director’s previous works or persona. 🤔
Thank you so much for this breakdown because I was so lost the whole movie. This was the best breakdown I’ve seen by miles and I’ve watched alot of them on this movie
@@michaelroseagain a couple of times Catilina resembles Kali, time itself, with his foot on Wow, she's saying she wants to be the "man" in the relationship. He gets 8 arms during a fever dream and he gets several faces to resemble Brahma the creator, with his new eye. Losing an eye is ofcourse a Odin who sacrificed his eye down the well of mimer to gain precognition. I can go on...
The irony of actually having to think when you go to the movies! You mean that the lowest common denominator is not the only way to assess a movie???? Well! What nerve!
the 'selflessness' is something you came up with personally. It wasn't part of the film. Have a read of Ayn Rand to understand the evil of selflessness
Films that rely heavily on abstract symbolism or intellectual puzzles can sometimes be perceived as pretentious, appealing only to those with certain educational or cultural backgrounds. “Megalopolis” isn’t a case of artistic expression triumphing over broad appeal-it’s simply a poorly crafted film that fails to achieve either.
I just came out of the movie so confused and this helped me a lot. My only experience with ancient cultures being interspersed with modern day was the percy jackson universe and this was very much not that 😂
Great analysis. I watched the film last night. I'm sitting with it a bit before my analysis. Most of it I got, I just felt there was too much pontificating when actions could have taken place. I don't mind having to do research after a film but I need the film to make me feel something more. The lofty intellectual ideas were too all over the place. I don't mind a big swing like this-- I admire it--but it was a bit all over the place for me. A coherent unifying theme would have been better and that ending...I know it's hopeful but life is not hopeful, it is ultimately tragic or at the very least ironic. Love your videos.
The movie uses the method of Elliot's The Wasteland and Joyce's Ulysses throught it's incorporation of hundreds of literary, historical, and cinematic allusions to knit together a worldview of human society. It is both beautiful and confusing. It is especially confusing for those who don't know the references and thus flounder in the plot.
Even if all these symbols and meanings were attempted in the film, a movie should make those messages available to understand within the context of its own film and Megalopolis failed at that miserably
can you explain why he add Ceaser to the protagonist name before Catalina if Ceaser was a dictator and Catalina was selfless democratic politian? I got lost in this double referencial name and it's significance within the history
Regarding the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire…in its final years the Republic was a Republic in name only. It was more like an oligarchy, and it was also incredibly corrupt. The Roman Empire under Octavian saw the Pax Romana, 100 years of relative peace. While a lot of Emperors were unimpressive and quite a few sucked, there were a few good emperors. The Roman Empire was complex and shouldn’t be viewed as “evil” and neither should the Republic be viewed as “good” lest we forget that the Republic scorched Carthage to the ground. The Republic was just as imperialistic as the Empire. They made a desert, and called it peace. Comparing America to Rome is rather…juvenile. Rome lasted for almost a thousand years and depending on which historian you asked, maybe lasted for a bit longer because its legacy endures. One of its greatest legacies is the Catholic Church.
I'm willing to give this movie another chance, but on first watch I found it to be as deep and full of itself as a Neil Breen film with equivalent writing
I enjoyed the movie and this was an amazing breakdown but the only thing that bothers me about the movie is how Caesar is rich… it’s not relatable… it’s like Coppola is unintentionally saying you have to be rich and have an open heart/mind to change the world. You can’t just have an open heart/mind.. and that’s stupid to me… like how would he know how bad human suffering is if he lives in his millions of dollars condo ?
I was only saying What the Fuck to myself about every 7 minutes so in that so bad its funny to laugh AT film, sure For the last song of Coppola's career, its a disaster Its a 100 million dollar Neil Breen film...project...thing. Don't gaslight people into tricking them for not understanding
Hiya, I'm considering seeing this film, can you please explain why it's bad? A good number of critiques seem to orbit around not being exposed to surrealism much in film and tv OR completely, overwhelmingly in love with it? Additionally what were the last couple of films you enjoyed watching?
I hated it. it was interesting to hear your discussion and see how it was related to real historical events, but it was just so “disjointed” as you said. I never cared for a single second about any of the characters. I would say I kind of got into the first one or two minutes of the film and then after that, I was basically just waiting for it to end and rolling my eyes at how self- important and ridiculous it was. The actors were not directed well at all in my opinion and I didn’t even think that the special effects were that great. It’s appalling to me that FFC sold part of his own vineyards and put up like $120 million of his own money to make a film that I just see as a complete piece of forgettable garbage. If you check out the review by “ the awards contender” also here on RU-vid, that is a good description of what my reaction was as well.
Yeah even though I enjoyed it more than you, I somehow don’t disagree at all with your criticisms, it’s certainly unhinged to a fault haha I’m gonna check out the Awards Contender review cuz I’m loving the different opinions, glad you enjoyed the video though! Thank you!!
This was a brilliant concept however it is better suited as a tv serial and not a movie.If most of the public do not get what it is about then it has failed.I did wonder whether the characters are stuck in some kind of Pergatory which explains Caesars motivations.
Fascism is a reactionary (extreme right wing and extreme traditionalist) ideology that is motivated by a belief in a national mythology whereby a nation was once great but has been corrupted by “other” groups (usually racial and religious minorities, immigrants, and leftists) and needs militaristic authoritarian rule to bring the nation back to its mythologized greatness. Fascism was initially a European movement started in Italy in the wake of WWI by battle hardened veterans who were lead by Benito Mussolini on the idea that Italy was screwed over despite being on the winning side of the war and that it was part of a great heritage that was being undermined by urbanization, modernization, and the general ascendancy of leftism. They started as street thugs who were used by corporations to bust unions and intimidate protesters before gaining power. The Nazi Party in Germany was the most infamous fascist movement, which was built on war grievance and opposition to socialist and communist movements that were challenging the unstable liberal democracy that was the foundation of the interwar government, with their violent rhetoric and actual violence most acutely focused on Jews. It’s a complicated answer, but it’s a complicated subject that too many people talk about without knowing what they’re talking about (that’s not to be taken as a slight against anyone in particular, just a general observation).
This video and comment section is just bathed in soft yellow gaslight. You’ve pointed out a handful of historical connections and explained several elements of symbolism in the film. But the fact that I think everyone here knows but is too pretentious to admit is that this is just a batshit crazy flaming pile of steaming hot garbage that you can’t even form a plot through. And you’ve left out a number of key elements, namely the existence of Caesar’s first wife, because they’re literally impossible understand, let alone to fit them into a cohesive narrative. I’m going to digress, because it’s honestly not worth my time. Just because something is cerebral doesn’t mean it’s intelligent. The Emperor has no clothes. We don’t all have to pretend like we don’t notice. Ironically, the wardrobe was easily the best part of this “film”.
No, they just march bravely forward into a new Utopia of hope and light and flower buildings. This film unfortunately doesn’t actually have anything insightful to say.
@@joshmangamer255I don’t know if it’s takes the crown for worst movie of the year… it is quite ambitious, visually compelling at times, and the wardrobe department did some very good work (and I also haven’t seen a ton of new movies this year). But it is Genuinely impossible to find a cohesive plot, character motivations, or even a message behind the madness. I think part of what makes art worthwhile is its communication of meaning it stands for, and this movie struggles to communicate anything beyond single-word themes like “Depravity” and “Time”. And the nail in the coffin is that, as Coppola’s decades long vision, I think he was homing to communicate things through it, and he ultimately failed. I was pretty excited for this, and purposefully avoided opinions on it until I saw it myself, and my honest rating would be 3/10. I’d like to say I’ll probably put it on once it’s free to watch in 4 or 5 years, but as I think more about it, the less likely it feels that I ever watch it again. I’d recommend waiting to watch it on streaming in a couple months with a couple of people you can laugh at it with, because there is very little humor to get you through the ride.
@@joshmangamer255Yes, there is a crater from the impact, and it seems like it did some damage. But it never really affects the plot or the characters, and there is never a sense of impending apocalyptic doom.
