While the first test screenings of Ridley Scott’s long-awaited “Napoleon” are unfolding, the first review by an American film buff suggests a good, even very good …
As the World of Reel website reports, Napoleon stunned an American film buff who calls Ridley Scott’s new epic a “masterpiece.” The biopic dedicated to the French historical figure – embodied by Joaquin Phoenix – was in fact screened on Thursday evening at the Grove in Los Angeles.
Here is his review:
“That’s 150 minutes. [Le film] it covers the events of Napoleon’s life from his promotion at the time of the Revolution to the end. I think it’s bigger, better, and MORE PSYCHOLOGICAL than Scott’s epics like Kingdom of Heaven et Gladiator. Even more political. I think the photo is a masterpiece, or almost. It is the culmination of Ridley’s work as a director. His staging of battle scenes on an almost cosmic scale is breathtaking. Joaquin performs at the Brando, taking very big risks, sometimes bordering on the absurd but always bringing the public with him. Being a film about a nationalist in a time of chaos and disintegration who thinks in terms of pure power, it has many parallels to 2022. It’s a great film and I’d be surprised if there was something better coming out in 2023.“
Judging by that reaction and the fact that there is apparently not much more editing to do, you’d think the film’s vaguely slated 2023 release date on Apple TV + would be announced soon.
In recent months, it has been rumored that Apple wants to release Napoleon in the summer of 2023. It could therefore be considered a world premiere at next year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Either way, it appears that Napoleon is following in the footsteps of the Gladiator, to whom he was compared in the review, and may even surpass it according to this viewer …
Recall that The Gladiator, released in 2000 and also starring Joaquin Phoenix, received 5 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe the following year, and is often cited as one of the best movies of all time. What will be the fate of Napoleon? Keep on !
A little desire to (re) discover Gladiator? The film is currently available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
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