Another ‘Napoleon’ Reaction Calls it a “Masterpiece” …

On Saturday, I posted a mixed reaction of Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” which had recently test-screened, for the second time, at L.A.’s Grove cinema.

Now I have another, more in-depth, reaction from someone who seems to have genuinely been blown away by Scott’s epic.

Some minor SPOILERS below —

So, I disagree with most of the points made in the last reaction you posted, besides Phoenix being terrific. The first half hour of the movie is pretty abrupt, since it starts with the execution of Marie Antoinette and within 20-25 minutes Napoleon is commanding a huge army in Egypt and we don’t really get a sense of how this happened or why, besides that he won one battle and killed a couple protesters.

In the first half hour Phoenix’s performance is mostly subdued and he speaks in either exposition or military orders, so we don’t have a great sense of the character either. After the Egypt part though the movie really takes off and becomes fantastic, I would say Scott’s best historical movie. Weirdly the movie I was reminded of most was “Phantom Thread”, because Napoleon and Josephine have this perverse but also funny and sad and abusive relationship. Kirby is great.

The battle scenes are all huge in scope and unique and probably the best of Scott’s career. I wouldn’t say Napoleon is whiny, but more that he’s an egomaniac and Phoenix does a great job of portraying that. The humor hit for me and it felt like it did for the rest of the audience, with the scene where Napoleon stages a coup being one the funnier scenes I’ve seen in a movie in a while. Overall it’s much weirder than I would’ve expected from Scott or the subject. Also, It’s beautifully shot from beginning to end. I’d have to see it again, but based on that cut I’d probably call it a masterpiece.

This gels well with the other “Napoleon” reaction I had published late last year, from a person who had also used the word “masterpiece” to describe Scott’s film.

I’m inclined to believe that we’re in for something special when it comes to this film. The subject matter is incredibly fascinating, also, Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte strikes me as an incredibly inspired bit of casting and last, but certainly not least, Ridley Scott has proven many times, over the course of his 50+ year career, that he can deliver the goods.

Yes, Scott has been hit and miss for much of his five-decade career, but he’s still one of the all-time greats. He’s automatically a legend for “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “The Duellists,” “Thelma and Louise,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” and “American Gangster.” Not to mention his underrated works such as “Matchstick Men,” “The Last Duel,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” and, yes, even “Prometheus.”