Holy, molly, what a nice male cow doo-doo Ridley Scott dropped on us! Last night I watched the extended trailer (aka movie) of the upcoming Apple+ Napoleon biopic in the theatre and I kinda regretted it. Had I known that the current 2.5 hours movie will be released on Apple+ in 2 months with 4 hours running time, I would have just waited for that. They released this for Oscar consideration and for a quick money grab. Understandable, but not acceptable... The movie is bad. It is hodge podgy, bunch of events shown with very important parts missing from Napoleon's life, what can be explained by the missing 1.5 hours. So Trafalgar and Leipzig hopefully are still coming, because they were not to be seen in this one. And Phoenix's acting like a clown is just the cherry on the top. I wonder if an actor can refuse the script? My biggest problems: 1. This version was mistitled. It should have been called Napoleon and Josephine, because it was focusing mostly on the love story. Nothing wrong with that, but let me know in advance and then I don't mind the missing battles. 2. Casting. Phoenix at 49 is portraying an early 20s young officer. I mean come on. The obvious solution was either hiring a young actor and aging him, or having 2 actors and Phoenix taking the role over when Napoleon hit early 30s. Josephine didn't even age in the movie, although she was 6 years older than N. 3. Historical inaccuracies. I actually don't mind a little change here or there as long as we don't go Man in the High Castle type of alternate history. But Napoleon leaving Egypt and Elba for a pussy? 4. Missed opportunities. The worse is his speech to the troops who came to arrest him, after he escaped from Elba. That could have been the highlight of the movie and show his charisma. It is a let down. I am still gonna watch the full version when it comes out, because I am curious what was left on the cutting floor to make it an acceptable length for movie goers. Maybe Marie Walewska? As a sidenote, I downloaded The Duellists, Ridley's first movie set in the Napoleonic wars from 1977 with Harvey Keitel. Supposedly an unknown gem.
Very poor movie. I went to it because Phoenix is usually such a good actor but he was below average in this. Hard to follow the story line.
Hollywood knows actual facts don't sell well so they always insert lies to sell it. Movies aren't documentaries. Nobody wants to watch a historical documentary since most people get bored from history. I remember my brother was angry when he found out The Godfather wasn't accurate about the Mafia. I told him not get facts from Hollywood films.
Saw Napoleon this week and I know less about the man himself now than I did before I sat down to watch it. Rod Steiger's Napoeleon in Waterloo was a much more credible piece of acting and that film illustrated Napoleon's character - his genius and his weaknesses - far better. Even the battle scenes made more sense with regards the tactics of the day. Ridley Scott's film is a string of lavish scenes which start out of context and which are barely connected. Two stars.
"Napoleon" has its highlights, but unfortunately, it doesn't meet expectations. The visual aspect of the film is impressive, and the acting is undoubtedly of a high caliber. However, the script turned out to be weak, with underdeveloped characters and a predictable plot.