Megalopolis is one of the colossally exciting movies by Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a movie about a city called New Rome. New York City, as for comparison, in some ways New Rome is like. The plot is going to tell us what could happen when people want to make a place better but have to fight with what’s already there. In this blog, we’ll discuss characters, themes, and ideas in Megalopolis.
Megalopolis: A Journey into a New World
Characters of Megalopolis
The film has several interesting characters. Let’s meet some of them:
Cesar Catalina: Played by Adam Driver, he is an architect who desires to create an ideal city. According to him, things can only be made better by erasing the old city.
Franklin Cicero: Giancarlo Esposito plays the role of the mayor of New Rome. He wants things to be as they are and preserve old traditions.
Julia: Nathalie Emmanuel plays the mayor’s daughter. She is stuck between her dad’s will and attraction towards Cesar.
Wow Platinum: Aubrey Plaza plays an offbeat journalist, too, who is also a rival to Cesar. The character of Aubrey adds a fantastic twist to the plot.
Claudio: Shia LaBeouf plays Cesar’s cousin. This chap is ambitious but not too bright. He wants power but at times decides to do something ridiculous.
Hamilton Crassus III: Jon Voight plays a rich man in the city’s banking world.
Story of Megalopolis
The story of the movie takes place in New Rome, which is a new and better city that Cesar wants to create. It seems that people should be living a much better life than what the current city could provide. However, to make that possible, he has to fight with the mayor, Franklin Cicero, who is not in favor of any change. The film shows how Cesar tries to convince people to be in his favor while facing numerous obstacles.
One of the most exciting things in the movie is when Cesar discovers he has the power to control time. This makes the movie have a magical feel. However, this is not the driving force behind the movie. Instead, it creates tension based on the conflict between Cesar’s vision and the realty of New Rome.
Themes of Megalopolis
Megalopolis deals with multiple pertinent themes. Here is a few:
Change vs. Tradition: The movie depicts the clash between a new change and older traditions. Cesar is the one representing the transformation, but Franklin is representative of maintaining the traditions.
Power and Ambition: Most of the characters in this film are power hungry. Claudio wants to be in control but on some occasions acts like an idiot.
Love and Loyalty: Julia’s love for Cesar is the center of the emotional issue in this novel. She needs to choose between her father and her heart.
The Pictures and Feeling
The film is full of impressive cinematography depicting New Rome in beautiful visuals. It is so well shot that it creates the dreamlike quality of New Rome. There is brightness and interesting designs in the city that make it seem as though it is alive.
It can be pretty thrilling to watch Megalopolis. The movie therefore combines drama and action with few surprises as well. There are parts which are, though unintentionally funny, sure to make one laugh at certain scenes. The feeling it creates is somehow quite different from many of the films made.
The Music and Sound
There is so much music throughout Megalopolis. The music helps to piece together the general feeling of the movie by going hand in hand with it while making scenes more powerful.
The sound design also brings the city to life by ensuring you hear the hustle and bustle of New Rome. You hear that which makes you feel you are part of it all.
Conclusion
This is a film that tries to show us a new vision of society. Very interesting characters and big ideas about change, power, and love are presented. It is actually a unique experience, no matter how confusing and even strange some parts of the movie might be for some viewers, because it forces people into the need to rethink the world around them.
If you are one of those people who look to movies that make you think and feel as well, then watch Megalopolis. For it is a journey into that beautiful, chaotic world that mirrors ours. So, sit back, pop some popcorn, and enjoy the ride to New Rome!