"Megapolis" is Ayn Rand Great Man Theory shit but somehow edgier. It's a flop, but no great loss considering the "auteur" behind it is a sex predator (Wikipedia spoilers inside).
"Megapolis" is Ayn Rand Great Man Theory shit but somehow edgier. It's a flop, but no great loss considering the "auteur" behind it is a sex predator (Wikipedia spoilers inside).
I'm putting this here because "Star Trek Sunday" rules may forbid posting this in the Movies comm today.
In an alternate present-day "American Republic", Cesar Catilina clashes with the New Rome city mayor Franklyn Cicero. Cesar is the inventor of Megalon, a revolutionary new bio-adaptive building material he believes can change the world, and has ambitious plans to utilize it to construct "Megalopolis", a futuristic utopian city of his own design. After Cesar announces his intentions in a televised speech, Cicero leads a smear campaign against him involving the death of his wife and the post-mortem disappearance of her body in unexplained circumstances.
TV presenter Wow Platinum, Cesar's mistress, leaves him to marry Hamilton Crassus III, an extremely wealthy elderly bank CEO and Cesar's uncle. Shortly afterward, Cesar becomes acquainted with Julia, Cicero's well-read daughter. While initially distrusting and spying on him, she soon develops feelings for him. When Julia reveals herself immune to Cesar's ability to stop time, he brings her on to assist in the Megalopolis project.
At a lavish and decadent wedding reception for Wow Platinum and Crassus, Cesar takes drugs backstage. Clodio Pulcher, Crassus's depraved grandson, sabotages the show to implicate Cesar in a sex scandal involving Vesta, a teenage pop star with a virginal image. Cesar is arrested but ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and released, while Vesta continues her career after adopting a new rebellious and sexually charged persona. Soon, Cesar and Julia become romantically involved. Cesar laments the loss of his ability to stop time following his arrest but finds himself able to do it with Julia.
A Soviet Union satellite falls out of orbit over New Rome, destroying large parts of the city. Cesar uses the opportunity to begin construction of Megalopolis, despite Cicero's opposition. In a press conference, he urges the need for debate and dialogue about society and asks people to consider if a better world is possible. Cesar is delighted to learn that Julia is pregnant, while Cicero is aghast. Privately, he pleads with Cesar to leave his daughter, attempting to bribe him with information about what happened to his wife, but Cesar refuses. Clodio begins stirring up popular discontent against both Cesar and Cicero with fascist rhetoric, while separately, Wow Platinum convinces him to assist her in a plan to take control of Crassus's fortune via hostile takeover, freezing Cesar’s bank accounts in the process.
Cesar is shot in the head and severely wounded in an assassination attempt but heals quickly thanks to a Megalon skin graft. The protests against Cesar and Cicero led by Clodio turn into full-scale riots, and Cicero flees to a secret underground bunker. After being forced from his position as bank CEO by the board of directors, Crassus confronts Wow Platinum and Clodio with a bow and arrow, killing Platinum and wounding Clodio. Confronting protestors at Megalopolis, Cesar gives an impassioned speech about the future and wins the crowd over. Clodio's protestors turn against him, and he is killed and has his body strung up by an angry mob. Crassus pledges to use his wealth to support the construction of Megalopolis.
Sometime later, the construction of Megalopolis is completed. Cicero, holding Julia and Cesar's baby daughter, Sunny Hope, promises to work together with Cesar to keep building a better future.
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I watched it. It does sound a lot worse when you read the plot because the movie is made in a way that makes it look smarter than it is. However it still drowns in cringe.
The reality that the US are collapsing is drenched in exceptionalism. The sole tragedy of it is that it's gonna end, boohoo. The evil of capital is depicted as individual failure. Homosexuality is suspiciously always represented in the context of decadence (worse, Julia is kissing a girl in the beginning, but everything becomes a lot cooler when she falls inlove with a man). Of course the main antagonist is a black man, but at least he can have a redemption arc, which is not the case of the overtly sexualised blond woman and her associate, a young queer man. Old cishet white men are cool however. The things that are utopian about Megalopolis are vague or perfectly achievable right now with DotP. Like, they say there's gonna be no homelessness, the least technology-related problem in the world lol. It goes on
(worse, Julia is kissing a girl in the beginning, but everything becomes a lot cooler when she falls inlove with a man)
Somehow, reading that just made my synapses fire in a way where they said "UlyssesT is still pissed about that "lesbian curing potion" story bit in that Fire Emblem game that also had the creepy touch pad "morale" system."
