A raw, fly-on-the-wall documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long journey in creating his self-financed passion project, MEGALOPOLIS. The bold and unrelenting epic returns in Mike Figgis’ portrait of Coppola’s creaåive process—weaving together archival material, unfiltered cast interviews, and a close-up view of how the legendary filmmaker drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of Megalopolis. This isn’t a record of a production on the brink, it’s a personal memoir unfolding in real time.

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Video Quality

MegaDoc comes to Blu-Ray from Utopia with a stellar high definition master which presents this material perfectly. This feature primarily consists of newer interviews along with fly-on-the-wall observations of the production process. The talking head style interview segments look incredibly crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features. This is only slightly more stable than the roaming footage around the set, which is still sharp and detailed with only a small amount of variance to account for the location. All footage seems to be derived from the most stable sources possible, most of which looks great since we mostly stay in the current decade with some sporadic clips of failed productions of the material from years back. The hues featured in the footage have a pleasing sense of vibrancy to them. The transfer does not feature anything in the way of compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. This is a film that thrives in high definition.  

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a formidable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures every facet of this film effortlessly. This is largely an interview showcase with a plentiful amount of talking heads to complement the candid footage and footage on the soundstage. Dialogue is the star right up front in the center channel as you get these anecdotes relayed in a relatively stable environment. The score comes through with a natural fidelity that complements the emotions appropriately. The surround sound presentation makes the experience more three dimensional, yet that is not the standout aspect of the endeavor. There were no digital anomalies or other issues spotted. This track delivers in every respect. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Interview with Director Mike Figgis: A new 32-minute interview with the filmmaker in which he discusses first meeting Francis Ford Coppola, when he first heard about Megalopolis, getting involved with filming the production, what he learned during filming, and more. 

• Angelika Opening Photo Gallery 

• After Party Photo Gallery 

• Trailer (2:11)

• Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Making a Question” by film critic Nick Newman is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis of the feature. 

Final Thoughts

MegaDoc is a fascinating documentary which explores the unyielding determination it takes to make art of any kind, regardless of the quality. Francis Ford Coppola has created some of the best movies that cinema has to offer, so it is intriguing to see him pursue a dream project that has lingered with him for many decades, investing in himself with his own money for full creative control. When someone does not have any guard rails, anything can happen, and director Mike Figgis is there to capture every moment. You needn’t have seen Megalopolis to appreciate this particular creative endeavor; it stands on its own as a compelling tale of artistic ambition. Utopia has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and some decent special features. If you appreciate a great documentary about the art of moviemaking, give this one a shot. Recommended 

MegaDoc is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Utopia & Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.