This is what it should have been called. Once again, like the Leonard Bernstein bio-pic, they've taken the least interesting thing about a historic figure and spun most of the film around it. Yawn! "Couldn't take my eyes off it." What is the opposite of that? For most of the 2h 28m, I was fussing around in a state of distraction like a restless child in church. I probably checked my email ten times before I got to the end credits.
Joaquin Phoenix is wrong for the role. Maybe twenty years ago he could have made a case for playing Napoleon but pushing fifty...not really. It reminds me of those high school movies with actors in their thirties playing seniors.
Thus far in this forum, the film has only 34 Ten Star reviews with 142 One Star reviews. The masses have spoken. If this were set in revolutionary France, the director would find his head in a basket.
As far as history goes, all that can be said was that, yes, Napoleon was a historical figure, but if anyone is looking for this era to be elucidated in anything approaching an authentic manner, you'll be less informed than before you started watching.
On a positive note, if that even matters at this point, the production values are just what you'd expect of a major motion picture. This means that all the tech folks did great, the creative types failed miserably. Hire a better writer next time. What a complete waste of money.
Joaquin Phoenix is wrong for the role. Maybe twenty years ago he could have made a case for playing Napoleon but pushing fifty...not really. It reminds me of those high school movies with actors in their thirties playing seniors.
Thus far in this forum, the film has only 34 Ten Star reviews with 142 One Star reviews. The masses have spoken. If this were set in revolutionary France, the director would find his head in a basket.
As far as history goes, all that can be said was that, yes, Napoleon was a historical figure, but if anyone is looking for this era to be elucidated in anything approaching an authentic manner, you'll be less informed than before you started watching.
On a positive note, if that even matters at this point, the production values are just what you'd expect of a major motion picture. This means that all the tech folks did great, the creative types failed miserably. Hire a better writer next time. What a complete waste of money.