In Praise of ‘Megalopolis’

The oddity of Megalopolis is that it is neither as far-reaching nor as demented as its reputation suggests. The epic film, decades in the making, is a resounding commercial flop and a polarizer of critics everywhere. The median moviegoer has stayed away. Even if it weren’t for its manifold flaws and eccentricities, the film is probably too unclassifiable to do well in this cultural environment: No intellectual property is mined and no real events are restaged. The star-studded cast simply isn’t enough of a draw and the word-of-mouth is a muddle.