Napoleon (In Theaters)

[g5000]

I was looking forward to this movie as soon as I heard about it earlier this year.

It's been a huge disappointment. Out of the two hour and forty minute length, more than half is spent on Napoleon's relationship with Josephine. I mean, who gives a shit? What a tremendous waste of time.

The battle scenes are short, historically inaccurate, and mostly closeups of a bunch of guys snarling and slashing. And we're supposed to believe Boney gave battle orders with a nod of the head.

The movie jumps several years at a time and provides no historical background for the unfolding events. Nor does it get into Napoleon's strategies in key battles.

It's not even a good love story.

 

[MaryL]

I am reflecting on the old BBC series "war and peace." Borodino, An old Russian proverb about how the skies above us repeat itself every one hundred years.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

Generally not a good look on Bonaparte.

 

[DudleySmith]

One would think that with the new CGI technology something like Napoleon's epic battles across Europe would be all the rage, compared to other eras of warfare; the grand batteries of cannon, the cavalry charges, the line infantry firing in waves, etc., would make for great and terrible visual spectacles. We have a couple of generations of wimpy Woke babies making movies these days.

 

[Michael1985]

I'm planning to go see it in theater this weekend. I guess I'll find out what I think of it after it's over.

 

[theHawk]

I was looking forward to this movie as soon as I heard about it earlier this year.

It's been a huge disappointment. Out of the two hour and forty minute length, more than half is spent on Napoleon's relationship with Josephine. I mean, who gives a shit? What a tremendous waste of time.

The battle scenes are short, historically inaccurate, and mostly closeups of a bunch of guys snarling and slashing. And we're supposed to believe Boney gave battle orders with a nod of the head.

The movie jumps several years at a time and provides no historical background for the unfolding events. Nor does it get into Napoleon's strategies in key battles.

It's not even a good love story.

Ridley Scott is really losing his touch.

 

[WelfareQueen]

I saw it. Fine movie but not a classic.

 

[Natural Citizen]

Looks like a pretty good trailer to me. It's one I've been wanting to see.

 

[g5000]

I'm planning to go see it in theater this weekend. I guess I'll find out what I think of it after it's over.

Let us know what you think.

 

[Seymour Flops]

I just saw it a couple of hours ago.

I thought it was good, but I understand your criticisms. I'll address them, but only to give my take, not to be argumentative. Then I'll offer my own criticisms.

I'm sure the battle scenes were not historically accurate. I doubt if many movie battle scenes are. The way they were directed made it pretty easy to follow the "plot" of the battles. I enjoyed them. Maybe not having knowledge of the actual history made it better, for not thinking about the accuracy aspect.

When I watch any movie about a historical figure, I ask myself what if it were not about Johnny Cash, but about a completely fictional country singer? Would I still like it? I did, when JP portrayed Cash. Same for this portrayal of Napoleon.

It did take leaps in time. Hard not to for that movie. I told Mrs. Flops that a project like that should be a mini-series, because there is not enough time in a movie to cover such a long and event-filled historical period.

I thought the love story was good. It was non-traditional. The movie gave me the impression that Napoleon was too busy fighting to put much effort into women, until he met Josephine. The scene in which they both agreed to dissolve the marriage for the good of France I found moving (whether it was actually like that or not).

My own criticisms:

They labeled some of the historical figures, but not all of them. Either leave out the labels, and have the characters introduced as part of the dialogue, or label everyone important so we know what we're looking at.

Depicting Napoleon's political opponents as fat baffoons misses the point. Napoleon did not succeed by being the only smart guy in a nation of idiots. He outplayed men who were very good politicians to have risen to their positions in the first place.

Other than that, I found it good. The standard I set before I went in was whether I'd rather watch it again, or watch Napolean Dynamite again twice through in the same amount of time. I'd watch this again.

That's my take.

 

[g5000]

I told Mrs. Flops that a project like that should be a mini-series, because there is not enough time in a movie to cover such a long and event-filled historical period.

This is exactly what my friend and I said to each other. This would have been better as a series.

 

[Failzero]

My guess ( 7 Oscar Nominations / 4 Wins )

 

[strollingbones]

I want to see it ..but 3 and 1/2 hours? I want to see the battle scenes at the theater but sounds like it may be such a disappointment...it will be on apple tv soon

 

[fncceo]

In two of Arthur C. Clarke's books that are set in the future, he mentions a movie released in the mid 21st Century about Napoleon which is supposed to be a huge hit.

Still waiting.

 

[DudleySmith]

Makes me want to break out my Wellington's Victory simulation game, but it has 5,000 pieces, takes me at least a week or more to get it all set up, and at least a couple of months to play out, just for a battle that lasted a few hours, so maybe not. lol

I do like the maps and the different unit colors, though.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I have also been wanting to see it, but the early critics are not super kind to it.
I read through several critic reviews and the one that stands out is this:
"It seems Scott and Phoenix dislike Napoleon too much to make a movie about Napoleon".

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I like Chris Stuckmann... he said "I wouldn't say Napoleon is Scott's best movie, I wouldn't even put it in his top 5, but it is a damn fine movie"
So I would say if you walk into the theater expecting brilliance and the best movie of the year - you will be disappointed. But if you walk in with no expectations... you might find you enjoy it very much... as a movie, and not what it could have been.

But I haven't seen it yet - so what do I know?

 

[Failzero]

If you want woke and DEI it’s not the Movie for you .

 

[strollingbones]

if you want historical facts this is not the movie to see...yes i went...yes i regret it....i swear i never have liked whats his name...but damn he just didnt even try

 

[Natural Citizen]

if you want historical facts this is not the movie to see...yes i went...yes i regret it....i swear i never have liked whats his name...but damn he just didnt even try

So it wasn't a good movie?