After months of waiting, one of Apple TV Plus’ biggest movies of the year is finally launching on the streaming service, and there’s not long left to wait.
Napoleon will be coming to Apple TV Plus on March 1, 2024, after its theatrical run last November. For that, Napoleon managed to get nominated for three Academy Awards and received four BAFTA nominations. Directed by Ridley Scott, well-known for films including Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator, Napoleon is a huge epic spanning almost 3 hours. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular commander and Vanessa Kirby as Joséphine Bonaparte.
Though it is not yet confirmed when this will arrive, Apple TV Plus is also due to receive a four-hour-long cut of Napoleon, with extra scenes and a more robust story. This is one of a handful of the best movies on Apple TV Plus this year, with Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon already on there and Apple Original Argylle anticipated to arrive in the future.
Is Napoleon good?
Napoleon’s reviews were broadly positive on the first premiere with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw giving it five out of five stars. By contrast, The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane liked it less, stating: “If the movie falters, it’s because, as a bio-pic, it cannot do otherwise. Even the most expert of storytellers is defeated by the essential plotlessness of the form: one damn thing after another.”
As well as this, Michael Broers, an Oxford historian who worked on the film spoke to TIME, where he claimed much of the movie is historically inaccurate. This was done to make the movie more watchable for its audience. In that interview, Broers said: “There were some things where Scott had to kind of play fast and loose with chronology, but it made it much easier for viewers to follow.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, Napoleon didn’t fare quite so well, currently sitting at 58%, according to 329 reviews.
If you’re going into Napoleon looking for a highly accurate account of parts of Napoleon Bonaparte’s life, you will likely be left a little unsatisfied but, if you want a well-told war epic that is performed skillfully by a fantastic cast, Napoleon might just be for you.
