The 2024 film Megalopolis was a cultural behemoth. A massive passion project from one of the most acclaimed cinematic directors, this film became an event unto itself. Was it boldness? Was it madness? This film, with its all-star, zany cast and convoluted story became a present-day myth. A modern legend that turned into a parable of self-indulgence and pride. However, was Megalopolis, as bonkers as it was, really this atomic project? Did Francis Ford Coppola go off the deep end, burn through the equity of his winery and vineyards, and go completely “heart of darkness” with his magnum opus?

 

Well, no, not really. 

 

Documentarian Mike Figgis has created a behind-the-scenes film about this elusive, shadowy project which was helmed from legendary storyteller Francis Ford Coppola. I will not, and should not, need to list Coppola’s credentials at this point. The man’s body of work over the last 50 years can rival any director’s resume. Megalopolis, however, is the outlier in that legendary library. 

 

The appeal of documenting the making of Megalopolis is one part truthful, objective reporting of crew and cast bringing a film to life. The other part is revealing that the tired, burned-out feelings of an 83-year-old director are unmatched when compared with his energy, focus, and drive. Coppola conceived of Megalopolis, his grand epic statement, nearly four decades ago. However, the conditions to make this film were never right, until the early 2020s.

 

Mike Figgis’ camera documents the raw first cast rehearsals and the construction of the sets built out of an abandoned Atlanta mall. He sits down with Coppola and the various crew members, as they mull over locations, costumes, lighting, and all the craftsmanship needed for filmmaking. 

 

The huge cast all take turns commenting not only on their thoughts on the film, but on Coppola himself. Laurence Fishburne, Audrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, and Adam Driver all contribute. However, the most interesting voice is Shia LaBeouf. Arguably, the most interesting bits of this documentary are the volatile vocal chess matches and verbal fencing between LeBeouf and Coppola. There seemed to be no end to their squabbling. 

 

At face value, the documentary is much more interesting and compelling than the movie its covering. However, there is not an audience for this documentary outside of devoted cinephiles and industry insiders. To the film’s credit, there are some interesting sequences and humorous anecdotes that make this film feel more like a mockumentary than an earnest, objective account.

 

One of the stronger aspects of Megadoc is holding Coppola accountable for the bizarre treatment of his project. For a film that Coppola has seemingly spent his life trying to make, his approach to making Megalopolis seems almost careless. This method is explained as wanting the actors and story to be organic and in the moment while filming; careful pre-production, storyboarding, and planning, hallmarks of Coppola’s earlier (and more successful) films, are discarded. His fly-by nature stresses out his crew, who never know what to expect, because the storyteller does not know what he wants. 

 

This type of documentary should showcase a master at work, but it instead feels like it belongs somewhere listed between the trailer and director commentary in the DVD extras section. Megadoc reveals Coppola at his passionately strongest but pragmatically weakest; a mad architect trying to create Megalopolis by building the airplane as he flies it. Between the two projects, this documentary is the better one. But not by much.