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When you hear the names Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott together in regards to a movie, it’s pretty safe to predict you’re in for something special, especially when that movie is an epic historical drama like Napoleon. The Academy Award-winning actor is teaming up with Scott, decades after working with the famed director on Gladiator, to play Napoleon Bonaparte, and yes, expectations are high. The film will be released in theaters on November 22 before becoming available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription, and the critics have weighed in with their opinions.
In addition to Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role, Napoleon’s cast includes Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim and many other impressive names who will help tell the epic story of the rise and fall of the French emperor. Let’s see what the critics are saying, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Napoleon. Mike Reyes rates the film 3.5 stars out of 5, writing that the picture is engaging and energetic, but given the epic battle scenes in the trailer, some may be surprised at how much emphasis is placed on Napoleon and Josephine’s romance. Reyes continues:
Napoleon still plays well at a little over 2.5 hours, including some amazing battlefield set pieces as well as a constant undercurrent of dark humor that’s pleasantly surprising. But again, this isn’t Gladiator 1.5, as there’s quite a bit of surprising emphasis placed on a storyline that most may not be expecting to be the dominant thread in Joaquin Phoenix’s historical portrayal.
David Rooney of THR says the project is too sprawling to remain compelling, and Vanessa Kirby makes Josephine the more intriguing of the couple, as Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal doesn’t quite add up to a well-rounded portrait of one of the most driven men in history. The critic writes:
Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in the title role is as eccentric as any the mercurial actor has given, even if his tics don’t always seem entirely grounded in character. But it’s when he’s onscreen with Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, the fallen aristocrat re-elevated by her marriage to Napoleon and then nudged aside when she fails to produce an heir, that the nearly three-hour historical epic is most alive.
Meghan O’Keefe of Decider says the film strangely undercuts its subject at every turn. That said, while not on the same level as some of Sir Ridley Scott’s best movies, Napoleon is an intriguing experiment in storytelling, according to O’Keefe, who writes:
Napoleon is an expertly made period film, but it never gets bogged down by the fusty conventions of the genre. Rather than hold the audience’s hand through a history lesson, Ridley Scott uses his technical prowess to present a version of Bonaparte’s story that undermines the mythology. The battle scenes are epic, the performances are incredible, but the story might be a radical change from what audiences expect. It’s the inversion of expectations that I found most stunning.
Nicholas Barber of BBC rates the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it “a proper, old-fashioned historical epic,” and “awe-inspiring achievement.” While the 160-minute runtime successfully ticks off the major events of Napoleon’s life, it doesn’t delve into who the emperor is and the motivations behind his actions. In Barber’s words:
The screenwriter, David Scarpa, has scripted lots of pithy and sometimes very funny vignettes, and it’s easy to luxuriate in the dozens of stately homes, the hundreds of gorgeous period costumes, and the countless extras that Scott lays before us. Scene by scene, his proper, old-fashioned historical epic is terrific fun. But it lacks insights into who Napoleon is or what he wants, where he comes from or why he is such a success. Nor does it delve below the surface of the geopolitics around him. It is never clear why he is fighting a particular battle or signing a particular treaty, and because it isn’t clear, it is difficult to care about their outcomes.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com rates the film 2 out of 4 stars, noting how much David Scarpa’s script tries to pack into its runtime, and several critics wonder if the forthcoming 4-plus-hour director’s cut will resolve many of their criticisms. As it is, Tallerico says, Napoleon is merely a series of accomplished battle sequences looking for a better movie to connect them. The critic continues:
Once again, Scott’s craftsmanship is on full display here, but it’s in service of a deeply shallow screenplay, one that hits major events in the life of its subject with too little passion or purpose, too rarely tying one to another with any sort of momentum. A phenomenal actor is reduced to a ghostly presence in the middle of the movie, and his partner, the character who needs to give the film a beating heart, comes off as two-dimensional and hollow. Again, Napoleon works when things go boom in undeniably impressive ways. It’s the other stuff that loses the war.
The critics have taken a fine-toothed comb to one of the most anticipated movies of 2023, but this still seems to be an epic film worth checking out. It’s garnered an early 82% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from just over 20 critics, so we’ll have to see if that changes as more folks weigh in. Napoleon will arrive in theaters for a limited run on Friday, November 22, before going to Apple TV+. Be sure to take a peek at our 2023 movie release calendar to see what other big titles are coming before the end of the year.