Napoleon is a historical recreation of its namesake Napoleon Bonaparte, directed by Ridley Scott. The movie takes you from the end of the french revolution up-to the (not a spoiler alert) death of Napoleon.
Visually the movie is quite brilliant. From the distant and overhead shots in battle, to the countryside and city/government buildings, everything is beautifully presented. The costume design is equally great. The action also feels more believable than most other movies, with no unnecessarily grand combat heroes, which most movies fall victim to.
The movie is 157 minutes (2 hours 37 mins) long. This is surprisingly both too long and not enough for this movie. Especially when covering many historical events, wars and also trying to build the titular character, world building and also building other minor/major characters. That’s a tall ask, and Ridley Scott has made a valiant effort.
The story is what it is, some parts maybe could have been omitted, but then you would not be able to see the duplicitous nature of Napoleon. The man in battle vs the man in private, this is probably going to be the most divisive part of the movie as it was confusing and unsettling while also being amusing and goofy at times. I’m not a historian and have no idea if the way Napoleon has been portrayed is accurate or not, but it sure makes for a compelling and complex protagonist.
This movie might be more enjoyable if you have done some historical homework beforehand or know the subject matter a bit better. My limited knowledge was maybe just a bit under what was needed, as the battles and general goings on were understandable, but the personalities and their behavior were confusing.
This movie is overall a decent watch, and you can be rewarded for watching the movie in the cinema, but you will also be bored or confused at some points, if you do not have a background on this era.
