Ridley Scott's Napoleon lands fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating after first reviews
Napoleon, Ridley Scott’s new war epic, has gained a fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating after the first reviews have arrived.
The highly anticipated new film, from the filmmaker behind Alien and Gladiator, follows the rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relationship with his wife, Josephine.
As well as the excitement of a new film from Scott, Napoleon boasts an impressive cast, with Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix playing the title role, and The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby portraying his wife.
The first reviews have been recorded on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and the film currently has a critics’ score of 62% from 50 reviews (as of November 16), which means it is just about certified fresh.
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Here’s what some of the critics have been saying:
“Ridley Scott – the Wellington of cinema – has created an outrageously enjoyable cavalry charge of a movie, a full-tilt biopic of two and a half hours in which Scott doesn’t allow his troops to get bogged down mid-gallop in the muddy terrain of either fact or metaphysical significance, the tactical issues that have defeated other film-makers.
“Phoenix is the key to it all: a performance as robust as the glass of burgundy he knocks back: preening, brooding, seething and triumphing.”
“Napoleon, the newest film from Scott, may not be the best adaptation of Bonaparte’s life and military career, and it’s not Scott’s best film (a hard title to claim, to be sure). But put together, Scott’s take on Napoleon – along with a commanding performance by Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, is certainly one of the most memorable. It is a fascinating example of just how much a master director Scott has become as he shows a level of scale and grandiosity that we’ve never quite seen from him before.”
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“Napoleon ultimately suffers from the same problem as its subject: The film’s ambitions are greater than the people demand, as Scott bites off more than he can manage.
“In the end, Napoleon seems less enamored with its subject than any previous telling of his exploits, referencing the 3 million lives lost under his campaigns.”
“This is a historical epic which is constantly on the lookout for subtle ways to undercut historical epics.
“Scott's take on Napoleon is distinctively deadpan: a funny, idiosyncratic close-up of the man, rather than a broader, all-encompassing account.”
Napoleon is released in UK and US cinemas on November 22.
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