Napoleon, a historical epic from director Ridley Scott, began streaming on Apple TV+ on March 1, after having its global premier in theaters in November.
The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor who conquered much of Europe. It details the tyrant’s ruthless rise to power and his obsessive love for his wife, Empress Josephine.
Napoleon now hopes to conquer streaming
For the benefit of those who came away from history class with only vague memories of a short, French guy with a funny hat, the film captures Napoleon’s “swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby),” according to Apple’s description.
The French emperor conquered much of Europe, and the Apple TV+ film includes “Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.”
Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the titular ruler, also starred in Joker, Her and other films. Director Ridley Scott is known for Gladiator, Blade Runner, Aliens and Apple’s memorable 1984 advertisement for the Mac.
Napoleon is not everything Apple and Ridley Scott hoped
Whenever Apple CEO Tim Cook talks about the films and TV series his company has created, he emphasizes the number of awards and nominations they have earned. It clear this epic was intended to grow that list. And while it did, it wasn’t the critics’ darling its producers hoped.
It scored a few Oscar and BAFTA nominations, these are in Costume Design and similar categories. It isn’t up for the best picture Oscar, and neither Joaquin Phoenix nor Ridley Scott earned any noms from Napoleon.
The film has a 58% approval rating from the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Ready to watch
Napoleon started streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 1. Watching the historical epic comes with a subscription to Apple TV+. The service costs $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
Anyone considering signing up just for this film should also seriously consider watching Killers of the Flower Moon before the subscription runs out.
Source: Apple TV+
