Ridley Scott has proven himself a master of the historical epic, with many fans eagerly awaiting the release of Napoleon starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. The film recently had its world premiere in Paris, and the first reactions to Napoleon have begun to emerge. We’ll update with more Napoleon reactions as they roll out.
NAPOLEON is a triumph that sees Ridley Scott at his best. The action set pieces are unforgiving and both Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby disappear into their roles. The film is always at its peak when they’re on screen together.
Full review coming soon to @DiscussingFilm pic.twitter.com/muukvfT6PQ
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) November 15, 2023
Ridley Scott prints the legend in #Napoleon/ #NapoleonMovie & it absolutely rips. A compelling love story between a man & his country, military career, wife & ego. Battle sequences are visceral, gory & gorgeously expansive in scale & scope. Phoenix is great, but Kirby transcends. pic.twitter.com/wUad22ylNF
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 15, 2023
#Napoleon is a strong historical epic by Ridley Scott that builds a complex look at the legendary figure and what motivated him. Bouncing between comedic and bloody serious, the film is best in its grand action sequences and bigger conversations. It can sometimes get lost between pic.twitter.com/245VAhgUHa
— Carson Timar (@BP_MovieReviews) November 15, 2023
NAPOLEON: Tremendous empire-dismantling by a lion of filmmaking in true just-watch-me mode. Brutish, hilarious, skin-crawling work from Phoenix and Kirby, whose domestic spats rival any battlefield chaos. The shortest long movie of the year. Pump that 4-hour cut into my veins.
— Barry Hertz (@HertzBarry) November 15, 2023
#NAPOLEON is a BRUTAL & BREATHTAKING BLOCKBUSTER! Joaquin Phoenix stands tall as the mighty emperor while Vanessa Kirby delivers an award-winning performance. It slightly loses its impact as the balance between love story & epic battles feel uneven. pic.twitter.com/ie6QmD4oWl
— Shahbaz • The Movie Podcast (@shayhbaz) November 15, 2023
Napoleon is an epic in every sense of the word. Ridley Scott has such a baseline of excellence, particularly in the battle scenes. Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix are masterful together. You get a lot here, horror, comedy, action, it’s the total package. #Napoleon pic.twitter.com/SIYTvP0AHH
— Hunter Bolding (@HunterBVideo) November 15, 2023
#NAPOLEON is an incredible feat of MASSIVE filmmaking and the type of historical epic that just isn’t made anymore. Joaquin Phoenix & Vanessa Kirby are pure alchemy together, but I wish it went deeper into the mind of the tyrannical leader.@TheMoviePodcast review out now. pic.twitter.com/1G9to2Blko
— Daniel Baptista • The Movie Podcast (@dbapz) November 15, 2023
#Napoleon is one of Ridley Scott’s best movies if not his best.
Is ambitious, brutal, brilliant and Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby shines in every way possible.
Full review drops in a couple minutes! pic.twitter.com/9lqFG54QBf
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) November 15, 2023
Ridley Scott’s #Napoleon is a LOT of movie. Everything and the kitchen sink, to the point that I’m surprised they never show him writing a palindrome.
It’s such a sumptuous, surprisingly funny epic that I can *mostly* forgive it for losing TONS of momentum in the second half. pic.twitter.com/1YZKvDBFDA
— William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) November 15, 2023
While there are several stunning war scenes, Napoleon’s screenplay combined with the erratic narrative structure ultimately leads to the film being a massive disappointment. Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby try their best to elevate the material but sadly, they just aren’t able… pic.twitter.com/90Mx8gZCnA
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) November 15, 2023
NAPOLEON: Hilarious, and an unexpectedly perfect pairing with BEAU IS AFRAID.
It’s Joaquin Phoenix’s year of being an insecure little boy with mommy issues
The epic battles are full of carnage and very excitingly staged, too, if you’re into that sort of thing. The sheer scale!
— Brett (@BrettRedacted) November 15, 2023
NAPOLEON was decent but not great, I liked it but wasn’t blown away.
Joaquin Phoenix did okay but it’s actually Vanessa Kirby who outshined him.
I’m just generally not a fan of biopics that are only about a string of greatest hits, which was the case with #Napoleon #NapoleonMovie pic.twitter.com/68b8re1ctq
— Rama’s Screen (@RamasScreen) November 15, 2023
NAPOLEON is pointless. Sure, Joaquin Phoenix portraying the famed general as an idiot is entertaining. But only for a moment. You never get a sense of Josephine or Napoleon as a ruler or anything, really. It’s merely a drab costume play without any contemporary significance. pic.twitter.com/ACPy3KIckQ
— Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews) November 15, 2023
NAPOLEON is an ambitious exploration of a troubled icon marked by Ridley Scott’s uneven direction & Joaquin Phoenix’s unbalanced performance. Alternating between masterful sequences of epic scope & some of the blandest filmmaking of the year, it lands with a mixed result. pic.twitter.com/HEqb1Y3Y0x
— Diego Andaluz (@thediegoandaluz) November 15, 2023
Haven’t had a chance to write my review yet, but I generally liked a lot of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, especially the battle scenes. Wasn’t that into Joaquim Phoenix’s performance vs. Vanessa Kirby’s but the scenes between them tended to be a slog compared to the action sequences.…
— Edward Douglas (@EDouglasWW) November 15, 2023
The reaction does seem to be mixed, with some loving the movie and others finding it underwhelming outside the battle sequences. Ridley Scott teased that he has a “fantastic” director’s cut of Napoleon which is nearly four-and-a-half hours, which could improve the film for those who found the theatrical cut lacking. Perhaps we’ve got a Kingdom of Heaven situation on our hands. There is no word on if or when the Napoleon director’s cut will be released, but Scott has said that he hopes Apple will eventually screen it.
Related
Napoleon: Battle of Austerlitz clip demonstrates the ruthless tactics of the tyrannical general
Napoleon stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader and offers an “original and personal look at Napoleon’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. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.” Ridley Scott directed the film from a screenplay by David Scarpa. The film also stars Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine, Empress Consort and the first wife of Napoleon.
Even before release, the film has found itself a target from those pointing out a few historical inaccuracies in the trailers, but Ridley Scott had a response: “Get a life.” Napoleon will debut in theaters on November 22nd before streaming globally on Apple TV+. Do these first reactions make you more or less excited to see the movie?
The post Napoleon first reactions praise epic battle sequences & Vanessa Kirby’s performance appeared first on JoBlo.
