MEGALOPOLIS

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film opens with the voice of Fundi Romaine (Laurence Fishburne) reciting a made-up proverb warning about the potential for the American empire to fall the same way Rome did if leaders do not learn from the mistakes of the past. In the city of New Rome, architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) stands over the edge of a building and is able to stop time as he steps slightly off before he could fall.

Somewhere in New Rome is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), daughter of Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). She is seen partying with her fellow socialite friends, siblings Clodio (Shia LaBeouf) and Clodia Pulcher (Chloe Fineman), who are also Cesar’s cousins. Clodio expresses interest in Julia but is super creepy and weird about it. Cicero is also none too happy reading about his daughter’s exploits in the papers. Downtown, Cesar is using his resources to demolish a building, freezing time again as it happens. Julia witnesses this from her limo and is unaffected by the time freeze. Cesar is said to be the inventor a groundbreaking new building material called “Megalon” and has won a Nobel Prize for his work.

Cesar is driven by Fundi (his assistant) to a conference with Cicero. Reporting at the event is celebrity reporter Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza), while Cesar’s wealthy uncle/Clodia and Clodio’s grandfather, Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight) is there as he is funding Cesar’s construction efforts. Cicero’s fixer Nush Berman (Dustin Hoffman) is there by his side. Cesar puts on an over-the-top display and announces his intentions to remake New Rome in his image with the Megalon. Cicero retaliates by trying to bring up Cesar’s late wife, who died under mysterious circumstances that he was cleared of. Cesar later goes home with Wow, as they are engaging in an affair.

Julia goes to see Cesar at his company over an angry letter she wrote to him. They argue over Cesar’s rivalry with her father until Julia agrees to see what Cesar is up to. He brings her over to see a model of his vision of New Rome as built by the Megalon. Julia quickly becomes convinced and joins Cesar’s business, to the anger of Cicero.

Julia reads more about Cesar’s past, including how her father was a district attorney that tried to charge Cesar with his wife’s death, as it was reported she died on an insulin overdose before being found in the ocean. She goes with a friend to follow him through the city, where it appears as though statues are coming to life and breaking apart. Julia eventually finds that Cesar is still simply paying tribute to his wife, as he still deeply loves her.

Later on, Wow marries Crassus, and they hold a celebration at a colosseum. Among the guests is Vesta Sweetwater (Grace VanderWaal), a teenage pop star who is auctioning off her virginity. Cesar’s mother/Crassus’ sister Constance (Talia Shire) and Cicero’s wife Teresa (Kathryn Hunter) are also in attendance. After a few events, including a chariot race and a wrestling match, the auction starts to go off while Cesar goes backstage to take psychedelic drugs. In the middle of the show, Clodio puts on a video of Vesta having sex with Cesar, exposing her as a fraud and framing Cesar for committing statutory rape. The crowd turns on Cesar and he gets beaten up in the middle of his drug trip. Fundi tries to drive Cesar home along with Julia, but the police stop them, and Cesar is arrested.

Julia gets help from Clodia in finding out dirt on Vesta, such as learning that she is actually 23 years old and not 17 as previously believed, and the video of her and Cesar was doctored with her face added to another woman’s body. Cesar is exonerated and freed, but he tells Julia that he has lost his power to stop time. When she comes closer to him and he holds her, he is able to do it again, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Clodio conspires to bring Cesar down by rallying the opposers of his Megalopolis project, something that Nush warns Cicero about, as it could affect his own re-election.

The whole city watches as a Soviet satellite, “Carthage”, breaks apart and rains down in chunks onto New Rome. Afterwards, Cesar holds a press conference where he announces his plans to set his Megalopolis plans in motion. Julia announces to Cesar that she is pregnant with his child, and he is delighted. They have dinner with her parents to give them the news, and Cicero is not very pleased.

Clodio starts campaigning for the position of alderman, having gained followers from Cesar’s protesters, and also as a result of Nush getting killed in a building collapse. Cicero tries to bribe Cesar with info on the truth about his wife in exchange for leaving Julia alone, but Cesar rejects the offer. Wow attempts to seduce Cesar back to him, but he denies her as well.

Clodio’s goon Aram (Balthazar Getty) arranges for a 12-year-old kid to shoot Cesar in the head in an assassination attempt, but Megalon is used to heal him quickly. Clodio also condemns Aram’s actions since this makes Cesar a martyr. When he leaves the hospital, he finds that his bank accounts are frozen, and he tries to go to Crassus to fix it (he’s the CEO) but gets no help. Wow later approaches Clodio and seduces him to convince him to help her take over Crassus’s fortune. Clodio talks to Crassus over the plan, tricking him into being forced out of his position as CEO of the bank by the board of directors.

In the spring, Julia gives birth to her and Cesar’s daughter, Sunny Hope. Cicero ends up quickly falling in love with his granddaughter. Clodio has roused his followers into becoming full-on rioters out on the streets. He and Wow go to Crassus’s room, where he lays in bed with an erection. But the erection turns out to be a bow and arrow, and he fires one into Wow’s chest, killing her, while shooting Clodio twice in the ass as he runs away.

As things descend into chaos, Cesar confronts the protesters downtown and gives an epic speech that turns everyone to his side. The protesters turn on Clodio and string him up by his legs. Crassus ends up funding Cesar’s construction of Megalopolis.

A while later, Megalopolis is complete. Cicero has now joined Cesar’s side alongside his wife, daughter, and granddaughter. Everybody gathers on New Year’s Eve as they all agree to work toward a better future. Cesar stops time just before the clock strikes midnight, but Sunny Hope remains unaffected by his powers.

In the fictional city of New Rome, architect Cesar Catilina is set to remake the city into Megalopolis, his vision of a shining utopia. He is opposed by Mayor Franklyn Cicero, but his daughter Julia works for Cesar and ends up in a relationship with him. Cesar is also opposed by his jealous cousin Clodio, who has plans to run against him in politics.

Cesar runs into controversy when he is accused of statutory rape with teen pop star Vesta Sweetwater, until Julia finds out that Vesta is 23 and the video showing them in bed was doctored. Cesar also survives an assassination attempt since the material used to create Megalopolis, Megalon, helps to heal him quickly. New Rome is also devastated by the collapse of a Soviet satellite, which Cesar sees as his opportunity to begin construction on Megalopolis.

TV reporter Wow Platinum, married to Cesar's uncle Hamilton Crassus III, a wealthy bank CEO, conspires with Clodio to take over Crassus's company. After Crassus is removed from his position, he kills Wow with a bow and arrow, and shoots Clodio in the back twice, but he runs away into the street and is cornered by his followers. Cesar rallies everyone with a passionate speech, promising to build a better city.

Megalopolis is eventually finished, with Cicero finally joining sides with Cesar. Julia also gives birth to her and Cesar's daughter, Sunny Hope.