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Napoleon Review: Stunning Battle Scenes Can't Compensate For The Rest
Napoleon is a film that was made with the intention of being seen on the biggest screen possible, which is why it's all the more ironic that it might be worth waiting for it to hit AppleTV so you can watch the battle scenes and then turn it off.
Napoleon might prove that no one can direct cinematic battle scenes better than Ridley Scott, but the rest of the film falls short, and those bombastic battle scenes cannot compensate for it.
Director: Ridley Scott
Summary: 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.
There is no denying that Ridley Scott can direct the absolute hell out of a large-scale battle scene and make it one of the most cinematic things you will see on screen. We have seen this from him repeatedly, and while other aspects of his films don't always work, we know that this part will because it's what he specializes in at this point. Napoleon is no different in the sense that the battle scenes in this film might be some of the best we have seen on screen all year. They are brutal but endlessly captivating, and even when you know who wins and who loses [because history], they are full of tension. The Battle of Austerlitz might be some of the best filmmaking of the year, and you cannot look away. When the guns are firing and blood is on the ground, Napoleon is brilliant, cinematic, and everything else that we want from our favorite movies.
However, a film cannot be entirely war scenes, and Napoleon has an unforgivably long runtime, and that is before Scott's director's cut swoops in and the film gets longer. It's quite clear from the editing, and Scott has even said himself, that many of the things that ended up on the theatrical cuts editing floor have to do with the characters, specifically Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). That could not be more apparent since we learn virtually nothing about Josephine throughout the entire film, and while Scott has been talking about playing fast and loose with history in this film, what he decided to do with Josephine might be even worse than the pyramids thing that everyone is talking about.
In real life, Josephine was six years older than Napoleon and became Empress at the age of 41. The film dedicates a significant portion of its runtime to how Josephine could not have any children, but when you have 35-year-old Kirby, they can't say, "She's too old" because that would be stupid. Not to mention, the age gap between Joaquin Phoenix and Kirby is almost fifteen years, making it even more ridiculous. Kirby is a fantastic actress, and she absolutely does what she can with the very little she is given in this film. Still, she is supposed to be playing a woman heading into her mid-forties going to menopause, and unable to have any more children, and nothing about it works. There is playing fast and loose with history, and then there is giving into the Hollywood system of leading women having to be under the age of forty, and this time, it's to the detriment of the film itself.
Napoleon himself isn't treated much better even though this is his film and is supposed to be about his life. His motivations for why he does what he does and acts the way he acts are muddled at best, and, once again, a very talented actor like Phoenix does what he can with the very little he is given. The best moments are the 'show, don't tell' elements that come from the battle scenes, but again, this film cannot be two and a half hours of nothing but battle. Other moments throughout his life need to be addressed, and the film nearly goes off the rails completely toward the end when it seems like it could be trying to present Napoleon as a sympathetic man instead of a dictator. You need a very good script when you cover morally complex people, and writer David Scarpa is unable to rise to the occasion.
Napoleon is a film that was made with the intention of being seen on the biggest screen possible, which is why it's all the more ironic that it might be worth waiting for it to hit AppleTV so you can watch the battle scenes and then turn it off. Right now, Scott is lashing out at anyone who calls into question the wonky moments of history that he has put into this film, and it's quickly becoming apparent that these squabbles over historical accuracy will be the legacy of this film, aside from some stunning battle scenes and not much else.
Napoleon
6/10
Napoleon might prove that no one can direct cinematic battle scenes better than Ridley Scott, but the rest of the film falls short, and those bombastic battle scenes cannot compensate for it.
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