NAPOLEON 🗡️ (THEATRICAL VERSION) REVIEW:

An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine. It is genuinely remarkable that Ridley Scott is 85 years old and somehow still cranking out new movies just about every single year. Even though the veteran director’s films have been rather hit or miss in more recent years, it is still nonetheless an amazing feat that only a few acclaimed living directors (Scorsese 80, Eastwood 93) have been able to accomplish. While Scott is no stranger to historical epics, he is also no stranger to those historical epics such as Kingdom of Heaven having a less than stellar theatrical version. Such is the case with Scott’s massive in scale and scope Napoleon, which is simultaneously highly engaging yet noticeably flawed and incomplete.

Knowing that we have confirmed reports of a 4 hour director’s cut on the way, I will be judging this theatrical version on its own merits and at the same time, reserve my final overall assessment for when the extended cut is released. As for this theatrical cut, I personally was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, even with the messier components that held it back from being truly amazing. For starters, this film has some of Ridley Scott’s most ginormous war sequences to date, showcasing a massive scope when it comes to the wide shots, giving the viewer a clear idea just how colossal these battles were. Even though I saw the film on a regular sized screen, I would highly recommend watching it in IMAX to experience the full weight of these battle sequences.

Joaquin Phoenix gives quite an amusing performance as Napoleon Bonaparte. He oftentimes toes the line between super self serious when being a military commander to leaning into campy territory when having conversations with his wife Josephine. Watching Phoenix throw these spur of the moment temper tantrum outbursts or exhibit bizarre childlike behavior when things don’t go his way is not something I expected, but it made me laugh hysterically and I loved that aspect. I do wish the script allowed Phoenix to lean more heavily into that over the top campy personality, and perhaps the extended version does have more of that. The glue that holds the story together is the toxic relationship between Napoleon and Josephine, which mostly works to varying degrees.

People will come to this movie for Joaquin Phoenix but will stay for just how good Vanessa Kirby is as Josephine. Kirby delivers this melancholic potency as Josephine and her chemistry with Phoenix is the dynamic that gives the film somewhat of an emotional centerpiece, although there definitely needed to be more scenes between the two (hopefully in extended version). On a pure technical level, this movie soars, with captivating cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and lavishly grand production/costume design that brings to life the time period of the late 1700’s to early 1800’s.

The movie chronicles three decades of Napoleon’s life, from his time as a promising young military officer to his eventual rule over France to his ultimate exile on the island of Elba. In regards to Napoleon’s military strategies, we get to see how genius his tactics were, both when it comes to political negotiations and on the actual battlefield itself. Like I stated previously, it’s very noticeable in the editing just how much was cut from the film, and this issue was most prominent in the first act. The movie is a lot funnier than expected, and it’s mainly due to how Phoenix reacts to certain things. I honestly can’t think of much else to say until the extended cut is released, other than the fact that I really enjoyed the movie whilst also acknowledging its shortcoming. I guess watching Joaquin Phoenix scowl, moan, and act like a petulant child is enough to warrant a recommendation, from me at least. Overall, while Ridley Scott’s unabashedly ambitious historical epic may fall short in some of its overarching story elements, Napoleon is still a very entertaining film about the man’s power and obsession, with jaw dropping battle sequences and engaging performances from Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix. Full judgement will be reserved until the 4 hour director’s cut is released.