Movie · 2023 · History, War, Romance · 2h 38m · R · English
Curator score: 1.8/10 (749.2K ratings)
He came from nothing. He conquered everything.
Overview
An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.8/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 2.89/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
Metacritic: 64
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Ridley Scott
Production
Apple Studios, Scott Free Productions
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Rupert Everett, Mark Bonnar, Paul Rhys, Ben Miles, Riana Duce, Edouard Philipponnat, Miles Jupp, Scott Handy, Youssef Kerkour, John Hollingworth, Abubakar Salim, Thom Ashley, Jannis Niewöhner, Julian Rhind-Tutt, John Hodgkinson, Erin Ainsworth, Isabella Brownson
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A big, often entertaining historical spectacle that plays more like a caustic character sketch than a full-blooded biography. It’s worth watching for Joaquin Phoenix’s oddball performance, Ridley Scott’s scale, and the darkly comic take on power and obsession, but it frustrates if you want historical rigor, emotional depth, or a more coherent portrait of Napoleon and Josephine.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy imperial-era spectacle with a cynical edge
Fans of antihero performances and volatile romantic power dynamics
People open to history as provocation rather than textbook accuracy
Audiences who like grand production design and battle-pageantry
Skip if
You want a faithful, nuanced biography
You need strong character development for both leads
You’re sensitive to historical liberties and compressed storytelling
You prefer warmer, more emotionally immersive period dramas
Overview
Napoleon is less a majestic rise-and-fall epic than a chilly, sometimes gleefully mean portrait of a man who seems both mythic and ridiculous. Ridley Scott stages the battles and court intrigue with his usual command of scale, but the movie’s real interest is in humiliation, appetite, and the way power curdles into obsession. Joaquin Phoenix leans into the absurdity, making Napoleon feel less like a statue and more like a volatile, insecure force of nature.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest strength is its sense of spectacle: uniforms, cannons, frozen landscapes, and imperial pageantry all land with bruising force. But the script is often too blunt and too rushed to give Josephine or the political world around Napoleon the depth they deserve. As a result, the movie can feel like a sequence of sharp, expensive highlights rather than a fully satisfying drama.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a prestige historical film that’s more sardonic than reverent, it has plenty to offer. If you want a definitive Napoleon movie, this isn’t it; if you want a lavish, slightly unhinged take on power and romance, it’s an interesting watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
audreypicnic (2.5★) · 26710 likes
Can’t wait for Sofia Coppola’s Josephine
Megan (stoobs) Cruz (2.5★) · 13784 likes
Gotta respect Joaquin Phoenix’s commitment to becoming Hollywood’s go to guy when they need to cast a narcissistic little freak with mommy issues
Patrick Willems (3.5★) · 7628 likes
Ridley Scott promises Apple he’ll make another Gladiator and takes $200 million of their money to make a comedy about how much Napoleon sucks and what a weird loser he is. A legend. I bet the four-hour cut is gonna get at least an extra half star
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (3★) · 6661 likes
would’ve been an instant 5 stars from me if ridley was brave enough to have waterloo by abba playing during the end credits
Clement Jochem (2★) · 5852 likes
I do not understand who this film is for.
If you care about history, you will tear your hair out.
If you like semi satirical Death Of Stalin style historical comedies, you'll find a solid 45 mins in there, maybe.
If you like complicated character studies, you'll wish PTA wrote and directed this instead, so maybe we'd get some of the brilliant, charistmatic politician and tactician alongside the insecure and pathetic man. Character studies need a character to study, not… more
2000 · Action, Drama, Adventure · 2h 35m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (3.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Kanopy, AMC, Philo
Another Ridley Scott epic about power, vengeance, and the spectacle of empire, with the same taste for muscular pageantry.
2021 · History, Drama, Action · 2h 33m · R · Curator 6.4/10 (550.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
A grim, adult historical drama that examines power, reputation, and gendered conflict through multiple perspectives.