Josephine, not Napoleon
Before watching this movies, I looked at the ratings and the 64 on Metacritic felt harsh. After watching the movie, that's exactly the score I'd give it, 6.5. So let me explain.
The movie follows more the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine than Napoleon's achievements and failures, as a general and emperor. But while Kirby nails the Josephine character, Napoleon is vapid. Josephine is alive but Napoleon is dead inside. Phoenix is amazing when he portraits disturbed characters, but Napoleon was silent, grumpy, tasteless. There are a few scenes when he loses his temper and there you can see Phoenix doing what he knows best. This was not a role for him. They put a lot of fictional things in the movie (shelling the pyramids, drowning at Austerliz), they should have let Phoenix put a little madness in Napoleon.
The music is great but not for this movie. It builds the background for a comedy of errors. If this was the intention then it succeeded. But if the movie was supposed to be an epic it failed badly.
The battle scenes are not terrible but not great either. The battle of Waterloo was a bit revival in the end but too late to save anything.
Overall I give 10 to Josephine, 7 for battle scenes, 5 for Napoleon and 3 for the music.
The movie follows more the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine than Napoleon's achievements and failures, as a general and emperor. But while Kirby nails the Josephine character, Napoleon is vapid. Josephine is alive but Napoleon is dead inside. Phoenix is amazing when he portraits disturbed characters, but Napoleon was silent, grumpy, tasteless. There are a few scenes when he loses his temper and there you can see Phoenix doing what he knows best. This was not a role for him. They put a lot of fictional things in the movie (shelling the pyramids, drowning at Austerliz), they should have let Phoenix put a little madness in Napoleon.
The music is great but not for this movie. It builds the background for a comedy of errors. If this was the intention then it succeeded. But if the movie was supposed to be an epic it failed badly.
The battle scenes are not terrible but not great either. The battle of Waterloo was a bit revival in the end but too late to save anything.
Overall I give 10 to Josephine, 7 for battle scenes, 5 for Napoleon and 3 for the music.
- marius-bancila
- Dec 1, 2023