Megalopolis

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Megalopolis ever since it was screened at Cannes and TIFF (to say that it was polarizing would be an understatement) and I finally had the opportunity with my nephew at the Broadway last night.  It is really something!  The city of New Rome is in decline and the many political, economic, and industrial leaders disagree about how best to serve the population.  Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), the mayor of New Rome, represents maintaining the status quo even though he is clearly ineffective and unpopular.  Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight), the CEO of the Crassus National Bank, represents unchecked wealth which he uses to distract the populace with decadent spectacles.  Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf), Crassus's dissolute grandson, represents the misuse of power and creates scandals to discredit those against him and uses rhetoric to stir up discontent within the populace.  Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a visionary architect, represents change and wants to use a revolutionary material that he created to build a utopian city.  Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza), a TV host, pits Crassus and Pulcher against each other in a bid for wealth and power while Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), a socialite and the mayor's daughter, eventually brings her father and Catilina together with hope for the future.  The story is compelling and thought-provoking, particularly the message about the importance of progress, but it is told in a very chaotic way (I'm still trying to decide if it was done deliberately to emphasize the obvious parallels to the corruption, division, and instability of ancient Rome) with meandering subplots, unnecessary characters, and an uneven tone.  The visuals are often stunning but I did not like the score because it is very melodramatic.  I enjoyed all of the performances (I'm still trying to decide if the casting of problematic actors LaBeouf and Voight was done deliberately to highlight the depravity of the characters they play) but Driver, who always has a striking screen presence, is amazing because his physicality and unusual line deliveries are captivating and Plaza steals every scene she is in.  This will definitely not be for everyone but, while I had several issues with it, I mostly enjoyed it and want to see it again.  My nephew loved it and talked about it very animatedly the whole drive home.

Note:  Some IMAX screenings have a member of the audience pose an interactive question to Catilina to mimic an actual press conference.  I was ready to volunteer but my screening just had a voiceover during that scene.