Just saw the movie. It's not a bad film but a flawed but good film.
The movie is not at all like what the journos or film critics are making it out to be.
It's worth a watch for sure.
To elaborate further let's talk about the good and bad:
The Bad:
1.) The film likes to show off it's black people like a rich youtuber showing off their new lambo. Yet funny enough the word Haiti isn't brought up not even once.
2.) Damned as he tried Joaquin Phoenix could not convincingly be Napoleon Bonaparte. He could only play a guy playing Napoleon. To be very fair there is no one person alive in the film industry who could play a 100% convincing Napoleon.
3.) The film's run time does not do it any favors and forces the movie's narrative to be about Napoleon's romance with Josephine in order to make everything work on a cohesive way. Like it requires predisposed knowledge about the Napoleonic era. Moments in his wars are presented without their full context like Egypt and Austerlitz. In fact Austria only exist in context to Austerlitz and Prussia to Waterloo. Italy gets a brief mention with no mention to Sicily, Naples or even the Pope. Spain also doesn't get mentioned despite his brother briefly being in the film.
4.) The film starts off to a rendition of Ah Ca Ira that sounds very nightcore like. It made me unintentionally laugh.
The Good:
1.) There were no bad performances
2.) The romance between Napoleon and Josephine nearly takes center stage in this and honestly was actually one of the best parts of the film. Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix had a really good onscreen chemistry together. Vanessa Kirby herself as Josephine is a very pretty woman in this.
3.) The humor whether intentional or unintentional was kinda actually funny. Thank god it wasn't some marvel tier shit. The film does try to degrade Napoleon once or twice but it doesn't work and he still comes across like the badass he is.
4.) The soundtrack however occasionally it appears and disappears to only eventually reappear again is very period authentic and definitely a highlight.
5.) The battle scenes are sparse but still an awesome sight and a highlight of the film.
6.) Tsar Alexander I of Russia was a massive gigachad in real life and in this movie doesn't take that away from him despite fears of current geopolitical events might make this movie take that away from him. Every scene he's in is a highlight.
It's worth a watch for sure.