Two decades after receiving his first Oscar nomination for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix reteams with the legendary director for another epic action film about one of history’s most famous (and infamous) generals. Scott delivers on the promise of a Napoleon epic filled with spectacle. The action sequences are clearly committed and the best of Scott’s approach. The grandiose definitely comes through particularly in two famous battles; the violence does get a laughably gratuitous in certain occasions, though. Phoenix’s central performance captures Napoleon’s larger-than-life presence without romanticizing his historical grandeur, showing his ruthlessness and narcissism having led to countless deaths through his wars and invasions. His performance makes his screentime interesting, but sometimes the political dynamics drag and other scenes fall into unintentional camp or lifelessness when the battlefield isn’t the centerpiece. His relationship with Empress Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) is an interesting but also generic storytelling catalyst as well. The music and editing feel particularly poor in the film’s execution and rather unfitting. Though it’s cool to see the 158-minute film cover Napoleon’s entire life and rise to power, it also robs the film of any intimate tension that a film like The Last Duel benefitted from. Sometimes it feels like empty spectacle, and the muted color palette may distract in the wider shots, too.

Still, Napoleon benefits from its production value and immense storytelling among a historical icon’s rise and fall, and seeing a 2.5-hour Ridley Scott Napoleon epic may be all we really needed and were asking for. With the engaging action and lead performance that carry some of the film, it delivers on those fronts. However, it isn’t a must on the big screen and may still deliver the same entertainment when you watch it at home, as the grandiose on its own may be the saving grace for those who end up liking it.