Napoleon

R

Released Nov 22, 2023

2 hr. 38 min.

Biography

History

Drama

War

Action

TRAILER

for Napoleon: Final Trailer

List

57%

333 Reviews

Tomatometer

59%

1,000+ Verified Ratings

Audience Score

"Napoleon" is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte's relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

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Critics Consensus

Ridley Scott is intent on proving the emperor has no clothes in Napoleon, a slyly funny epic with bravura set pieces and a divided runtime that keeps it from outright conquering.

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Audience Consensus

Napoleon has plenty of terrific acting -- and action -- but it struggles to present a complete picture of the man in spite of its lengthy runtime.

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John M

I love Ridley Scotts work, including some recent films of his, like The Martian, All the Money in the World and The Last Duel. As for Napoleon, I went in with fairly high expectations and left disappointed, overall. As most are saying, this is an incredible technical achievement. Just like with films such as Exodus: Gods and Kings, Prometheus and Alien Covenant, Ridley Scott, gives you visual feasts for your eyes, where every frame is literally something you could place on your wall as a painting. Similarly to the aforementioned examples, the story suffers tremendously as a result. In this case, we get a series of events that only barely connect to one another, as if being read from a historical textbook. What is missing is what I considered to be the emotional connection to the characters and whats happening to them on a humanistic and relatable level. Why we should care about Napoleons exploits beyond its historical significance? I surmise that will all be answered and brought back into the picture in the four hour cut, but until then, this is what it is.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Joel B

I thought that the main characters were poorly developed and never engaged the audience with their struggles. I dont think that the gratuitous sex added to the story. Events in the story seemed disjointed, rather than connected. Without the time and place subtitles, the audience would have been totally lost. I enjoyed the grand scale of the movie, in the tradition of Ben Hur and El CID. The costumes and scenery were beautiful and the battles were exciting. Overall, the acting was good but not memorable or compelling. The movie did make me think about the parallels between Napoleons time and Trump in modern time. It also made me want to learn more about Napoleon.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

Full Review

Noel

50 shades of napoleon…

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/16/24

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Wolfgang

Epic movie, a classic Ridley Scott picture. Looked fantastic, but other than the battle scenes the movie was slow moving. The characters lacked depth and I didn't love most of the casting. Joaquin Phoenix was good, but I feel like there could have been a better actor for the role.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

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Ben W

This was just boring. Not sure how I feel about Phoenix as the lead. But nothing felt real or tangible. Meh.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

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OMG

From the first scene it was obvious they were going from dramatic value vs accuracy. Overall a great movie though!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/24

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Ridley Scott

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Napoleon Bonaparte

Vanessa Kirby

Josephine

Ben Miles

Coulancourt

Tahar Rahim

Paul Barras

Ludivine Sagnier

Theresa Cabarrus

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Napoleon: Exclusive Movie Clip - Battle of Austerlitz

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Napoleon: Final Trailer

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Kyle Smith

Wall Street Journal

Mr. Phoenix's Napoleon could never have commanded so much as a squadron of the Salvation Army, and though the movie is sprinkled with a few reasonably hearty battle scenes, overall it's something like Mr. Scott's Waterloo.

Dec 5, 2023

Full Review

Christy Lemire

Breakfast All Day

I found it impressive and kind of startling at times, but I was not emotionally moved.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 2, 2023

Full Review

Philip De Semlyen

Time Out

Ridley Scott delivers a spectacular but flavourless French history lesson.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

“Napoleon” is a gorgeous movie, but you won’t see it when you fall asleep between battles. The combination of pitch perfect visuals with comedic, outlandish dialogue does not ever gel, and Scott lacks the necessary pacing to let everyone enjoy the joke.

Apr 12, 2024

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

A battle-laden pilgrimage through the historical highlights of France's most prolific Emperor cuts considerable corners in conveying his military machinations. Questionable casting, jarring tonal shifts and a repetitive dependence on the battlefield...

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 12, 2024

Full Review

Víctor López G.

Espinof

On its way to theatrical release, 'Napoleon' has lost an hour and a half of footage, affecting a dramatic progression that feels too disjointed, cold, and at times, lacking in soul.

Rated: 5/10

Mar 11, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

"Napoleon" is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte's relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Director: Ridley Scott
Executive Producer: Aidan Elliott
Screenwriter: David Scarpa
Distributor: Apple Original Films / Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Scott Free Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Brief Language|Some Grisly Images|Strong Violence)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, War, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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