Sebastian Vidal

If I could have given "Megalopolis" zero, I would! Grandiose, pretentious, were it's best, (worst), points! The absolute worst film I've ever seen in 55 years of life! The idea was good, but the execution was dire! I got the references, Trump, Taylor Swift, etc, but the whole film fell flat! Not even an appearance, (in a very minor role), by Dustin Hoffman, (must have been desperate for work), could save this embarrassment of a movie! I found the juxtaposition of Shakespearean quotes set in a dystopian near future American New Rome, (with characters with Ancient Roman names), galling. The inclusion of a couple of lines in Latin, (with subtitles), was pure pretentiousness. I don't think anyone in a near future American dystopian New Rome would be quoting ancient Latin! It was ridiculous! The whole film was ridiculous! I could even forgive it all it's faults if it had been done well, but it was dreadfully appalling in every conceivable way. I got what Francis Ford Coppola was trying to do, but he failed completely in it's entirety. The premise of the film was promising and I was looking forward to seeing it but unfortunately it was nearly two and a half hours of my life I will never get back. I had had high hopes for this film, however it was helpless and hopeless. I really wanted to enjoy and appreciate what FFC was trying to do but alas both he and the film failed miserably. It could have been a good film but wasn't. I've never seen a film I wanted to end so much in my life! It was excruciating. And I don't know anything about FFC personally, but a line in the film made me question whether he is a homophobe. I forgot the exact quote from the film, (as I am desperately trying to forget having ever watched the film), but the line was to the effect of, "Doesn't everyone prefer women", spoken by Cesar referring to his own character's heterosexuality and presumably that of every male character in the film. This line stuck out like a sore thumb! Why was it there? It had no relevance or reference to the film, narrative, character, plot, nothing! It grated with me and annoyed me intensely. If the line had been relevant to anything that's fine, but it was a random line not relevant to anything! All it achieved was to make the character appear homophobic and in turn FFC himself! The fact that the film is dedicated to his late wife and the final closing, (thankfully), scene featuring a baby, (zoomed in on), with reference to, "the future", ultimately drew me to the conclusion that there was a definite air of homophobia about the film. Definitely not a film in the running for any awards, Oscars, et al, (whoops, there goes my Latin - pretentious, moi? - and French - referencing a scene with ladies in 18th Century French costume in a near future dystopian American New Rome world!). You begin to get the idea of how pretentious this film is! Oh, and not forgetting a very Cleopatraesque, (Ancient Egyptian), costume worn by Wow, when she meets her demise, not by being bitten by an asp, as Cleopatra, but by an arrow piercing her black, avaricious heart! Mind you, most of the characters had black, avaricious hearts, and I didn't care about, or what happened to, any of them, (even those with fifty shades of grey hearts), which is ultimately why the film fails. No, the only nomination for an award this sad, poor excuse for a film would get, and probably win to be fair, is The Golden Raspberry Award! And it should be renamed "Megatrocious!"