NAPOLEON (2023) – Epic battle scenes make up for a underwhelming biography

It took me awhile to finally get around watching this. I have to admit that I felt intimidated by the film length of over 2 and a half hours, and its rather serious subject matter. I am never a big fan of historical epics. What is undeniable is Napoleon is an important movie to watch especially if you are a fan of its esteemed director Ridley Scott. I am continuously amazed that Ridley Scott is still able to make these epic movies today at a ripe of age of 86! His last two movies released in 2021, The Last Duel and House of Gucci proved that he is as capable of making wonderful movies today as he was in his heydays where he gave us such unforgettable classics as Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator.

Napoleon has an epic scale journey to cover from the rise to the fall of this historical icon. The film begins interestingly enough with the French Revolution’s infamous riots and beheading of the Queen, Marie Antonette, with the then military officer, Napoleon watching unpassionately from the crowd. Then it follows the various exploits in Napoleon’s rise from military officer to emperor after a series of successful wars from the late 1790’s to 1815. He falls madly in love with Josephine, a widow with two children when she met Napoleon. It is this relationship that becomes central to the story that unfolds over many years and is the best thing about the movie. Joaquin Pheonix and Vanessa Kirby are well cast in this aspect, although Joaquin portrayed Napoleon in a rather aloof and spiritless manner outside of his scenes with Josephine. If I have to make a comparison, I will say that Kirby was marvelous and gave us an Oscar worthy performance while Joaquin was underwhelming and did not give his usual brilliant performance. The rest of the film appear too episodic and uninvolving to hold the movie together as Napoleon’s life is portrayed as a series of battles. Nothing much of his life is really covered in detail apart from his affixation with Josephine. Supporting characters come and go without much impact.

Where Ridley seem to have faltered in his usual storytelling, he more than makes up for in the astonishing battle scenes the likes of which we have not seen for a long time. The movie’s most complex sequence is a re-creation of the Battle of Austerlitz which had some amazing shots of the soldiers and horses falling into a frozen lake. These huge scale warfare with solders literally clashing against each other were captured in a very “old school” style that seem to rely very little on CGI effects. In fact, Ridley Scott confirmed that his big battle sequences were filmed mostly using practical methods with minimal use of traditional CGI. These were enhanced using VFX especially for the dangerous and bloody moments, which is basically a visual effects enhancement made over what was filmed. The difference in realism is obvious when we compare the end results here against any of the Marvel movies or even Lord of the Rings.

I had very high expectations for Napoleon, and was disappointed with the way Napoleon’s story was told. However, the film’s epic battle and combat scenes were truly outstanding. The result is an uneven movie that could have easily been another Ridley Scott masterpiece. I am nevertheless still in awe and grateful for Ridley’s continued passion in making these epic movies.