Thursday, November 23, 2023

"Napoleon" Review

 

by John Zenoni


‘Napoleon’ is one of those films I could not wait to see after watching the trailer, knowing Joaquin Phoenix was starring in it and it was directed by Ridley Scott. Scott has directed so many great films, including ‘Gladiator’, ‘ Alien’, ‘House of Gucci’ and ‘The Martian.’

While ‘Napoleon’ is a very good film, in my opinion, it's not great as I was hoping for or expecting. I've been reading many mixed reviews, some justifiable and some not, but can see why this is happening. From a storyline perspective, I'm torn about it. The film focuses on Napoleon’s rise to power, and is fascinating, but it also focuses on the relationship between him and his beloved, Josephine. The political and war part of the film is my favorite, whereas the relationship side of the film -- not so much.

There are some great war moments and the battle scenes are amazing. It's a long film and has some really great moments but falls flat in others. As far as Phoenix’s performance, he's such a great actor and he does a great job in his portrayal but there are moments where I don't know if the intention was for the audience to laugh or not. It's still a film worth seeing, even with its minor faults, so I definitely recommend it.

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