The thing that instantly worked for me in Megalopolis has got to be its futuristic premise coupled with a concept that is a mix of the past, the present and the future. As they say, what goes around comes around – something that is true for historic events too. So for Coppola to come up with the concept of an alternate United States being turned into New Rome (on the lines of New York but with the implications of the conversion of Roman Republic to the Roman Empire) was in itself a genius concept. This is because the world today finds itself at multiple pedestals, based on which the history of the world would be defined. That said, the politics of the arena would continue to remain closer to home much like the historic times. Keeping that in mind, this fable has the characters of Cesar Catilina and Franklyn Cicero, two individuals borrowed from the Roman era (read : BC) and placed in the futuristic world of the United States. The characteristics of these characters are pretty much the same as the past – Cesar is an epitome of progress while having a unique ability to stop time from passing by. As a result, he does come up with a proposal to build a new city called New Rome based on the discovery of a material Megalon. On the other hand, Cicero is more regressive in his approach while being quite resistive to change, even as he prepares to go at loggerheads with his nemesis.

The politics of the setup here is essentially the core of the drama that relies on the character traits of a few of the other characters – Crassus III, Cesar’s wealthy uncle who represents the wealth present in the setup, Clodio, Cesar’s cousin who is envious of him and wants to inherit the wealth of his uncle. You also have Wow, Cesar’s mistress and TV reporter who is blinded by money and would go to any length for the greed of power, and Julia, Cesar’s new found love and his archrival’s daughter who does understand the importance of progress. So in all of the setup, the lines are drawn even with the advent of politics that soon triggers a game of one-upmanship. I was invested in the characters and the world building but what I personally found distracting was the overstuffed nature of the writing that wished to pack in a lot of things, all at once.

The proceedings that ought to have focused just on the politics of the drama coupled with the character dynamics, was nothing short of chaos for me. And while chaos is always welcome, the thing that put me off was the fragmented nature of the narration. For instance – a track of political ambitions was brutally cut short with the focus shifting on the personal lives of the characters including a love story that didn’t really leave a lasting impact on me. And even when the focus reshifted to the politics of the land, the moment was lost and so was the momentum in the drama. I would still give a huge benefit of doubt to the drama in the first hour that was successful in luring the viewers in the world while providing a searing commentary on the political setup of the United States Of America. However, the second hour is nothing but a mishmash of ideas that do not land while completely leaving the film in disarray!

The internal conflicts of Cesar coupled with his ambition of building Megalopolis itself was a dichotomy of sorts given that his ambitions never fully rise to the surface. In fact, his internal conflicts further complicate matters while deviating from the core politics of the drama, and further ensuring that its impact is diluted. Personally speaking, I found the politics of the drama too trivial and unfocused whereas in reality, it needed to dig deeper for a more resounding impact. The scattered nature of the writing too did not help the cause of the film that never held on to any one subplot while being in a tearing hurry to move to the next episode of the drama. I did wonder on whether this film could have been divided into a two-part franchise to focus on the varied subplots (but I totally get why Coppola chose not to tread that path, given how no studio was willing to invest in the first place). The overstuffed nature of the writing finally gives way in its final act that resolves issues in a jiffy while partially changing the tone of the drama. Yes, I was in agreement of the sentiment and the underlying emotions, but it felt a tad too chaotic, and a tad too simplistic for my liking.