Megalopolis: Okay, So...What Was That?

Alright, folks, just got back from seeing Megalopolis. And I gotta say... I'm still processing. Visually? Absolutely insane. Some of those architectural shots of New Rome were breathtaking, especially the stuff showing Cesar's vision for Megalopolis itself. You can see where all the money went, I'll give it that. But the story? Man, it felt like someone threw a bunch of cool ideas against a wall and hoped they'd stick. Adam Driver was doing his best as Cesar, the tormented genius, but even he couldn't save some of the weirder dialogue choices. And the Mayor Frank character, played by... well, I'm not sure WHAT he was doing, honestly. Evil for the sake of evil, kinda cartoonish. From a practical effects guy's perspective (which, you know, is my jam), there wasn't much to see in the way of explosions or fight choreography. It's all very cerebral, very artsy. Which, fine, but I was hoping for at least one good car chase through exploding futuristic buildings. The closest we got was that one scene where Cesar manipulates time (or something? Still not 100% clear), that kinda felt like a practical stunt but it was all very digital and I was hoping more to see a performer reacting to a real explosion even if it was just a sparkler, but no fire, nothing. I think the ambition is there. You can tell someone REALLY wanted to make something groundbreaking. But it just felt...messy. Like a beautiful, expensive mess. It wasn't a bad movie per se, it just wasn't what I was expecting at all. Like, did anyone else get the feeling that like the director maybe had a few too many drinks before each day filming? Maybe worth seeing just to experience the spectacle, but don't go in expecting a coherent narrative. Final thought: I'm starting to think that maybe Megalopolis is about the dangers of hubris in filmmaking itself. Meta commentary, anyone? (Probably reading way too much into it, LOL).