Apple has dropped a new trailer for Ridley Scott’s pet project, Napoleon, the historical thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic French emperor and conqueror. Even though this is only the second trailer for the film, to me it feels like we’ve already seen a lot…perhaps too much, and I’m not sure it’s for the better. In fact, this movie is looking increasingly bloated and ridiculous to me.
Perhaps it has something to do with Scott already teasing a 4-hour cut of Napoleon to be released on Apple TV+. You know that means the theatrical version is already going to be epic in length, and other than the huge battle scenes and Phoenix’s strangely modern vernacular, is anything about this especially interesting?
Anyway, I’m sorta feeling the same way about Michael Mann’s Ferrari movie…which also has a new trailer out this morning.
Napoleon has a script by David Scarpa, who previously wrote Scott’s overlong and dull All the Money in the World. The cast surrounding Phoenix is extraordinary, though, with Vanessa Kirby as Napoleon’s lover and muse, Josephine, plus Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthew Needham, and Mark Bonnar.
Here’s the synopsis: “Napoleon” is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.
Napoleon opens in theaters on November 22nd via Apple, while Sony Pictures presents the 70mm and IMAX versions.
