Time: 157 Minutes
Age Rating: R13 – Violence, offensive language & sex scenes
Cast:
Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte
Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine
Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras
Director: Ridley Scott

A look at the military commander’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.

Napoleon was among my most anticipated movies of 2023. As a director, Ridley Scott can be hit or miss, but he’s at least interesting. By now he’s familiar with historical epics, so the idea of him taking on a biopic of Napoleon Bonaporte had me instantly interested (helped by the addition of Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in the cast). Having seen it, I have to admit that I was hoping for a better movie, but it was still good.

Admittedly, I didn’t know much about Napoleon as a historical figure going in, so it was somewhat interesting to learn about his life here (even though I have heard people saying that the movie isn’t very historically accurate). It does its best to capture Napoleon Bonaparte’s life from 1793 during the French Revolution all the way to his death, and that’s certainly an ambitious task considering how significant of a figure he was. It is impressive that Ridley Scott covered as much as he did, but I feel like it could’ve been better. I was hoping for something of a character study about its subject, but it was missing something. By the end I didn’t feel like I got a great grasp of Napoleon as a person or as a character. It largely tells a rise and fall story, albeit stripped of a lot of the narrative and thematic depth that I was hoping for. I wouldn’t say I was bored, but I wasn’t as engaged as I hoped I would be. When the movie focuses on the battle scenes and Napoleon’s private life, especially with Josephine, it’s firing on all cylinders. Whenever it goes through other historical moments of Napoleon’s life however, it’s not quite as interesting.

The tone is a little uneven, largely dramatic and serious, but there’s a surprising amount of humour, and I really liked those moments. I honestly felt like I was one of the only people in the screening to recognise that certain scenes were supposed to be funny. If anything, I wish the movie leaned into that aspect more. The pacing is also uneven, mainly as it was struggling to cover everything in its runtime. The movie is around 2 hours and 40 minutes long, and you do sort of feel the length. However in this year alone, I have watched movies significantly longer than Napoleon which still felt considerably shorter. It is strange, it felt very long while not being long enough to tell its story. One thing that was hanging over my mind throughout was the fact that Ridley Scott has planned a director’s cut of Napoleon to be released next year, and it is said to be 4 hours long. Considering how Scott’s director’s cuts end up being significantly better than the theatrical cuts (Kingdom of Heaven being a notable example), it is very possible that this extended version of the movie might fix the problems that I have. At the very least it would help the movie not feel as cut down as it currently does.

The acting from everyone is pretty good, but it mainly comes down to Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Phoenix is really good as Napoleon Bonaparte, riding the line between playing him as a joke, and treating him super seriously. It definitely leans more into the portrayal of Napoleon being a manchild, but he did feel grounded enough that it didn’t become full on cartoonish. Most of the comedy actually comes from his performance and portrayal, and he is particularly hilarious. Kirby is equally fantastic, and she really shines in her scenes. The scenes between her and Phoenix are some of the highlights of the movie. I actually wanted more of her, and while this movie very much treats her as essential and key to the film, I feel like we didn’t get enough of her. Presumably, the director’s cut also sorts this issue.

With this being a Ridley Scott movie, it’s no surprise that it is amazing on a technical level. The scale of the movie is massive and you really feel it. The colour of the cinematography may be a bit too muted, but on the whole it looks stunning. As expected, the production design and costume designs are top notch. The set pieces and battle sequences are spectacular too, well captured, excellently edited, and all around marvelous to watch. Martin Phipps’s score is also really good and fits this movie well. 

Napoleon is not one of Ridley Scott’s best by any means, and it has its fair shares of issues, especially with the pacing and much of the story. But it is a good historical epic, with some great direction, amazing set pieces, and stellar performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. It is disappointing not only because I was expecting to like the movie more, but also because a no doubt superior version is coming next year, which likely addresses most of my issues. With that knowledge, it is understandable if people would prefer to wait to watch that version, but Napoleon still might be worth watching in cinemas for its best qualities, and especially to see those large battle scenes on the big screen.