The release of a new Ridley Scott movie is a time of excitement and trepidation. The 86-year-old acclaimed director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Martian,” and “The Last Duel” remains one of the greatest directors of all time, even though he’s released more clunkers than masterpieces in the past 20 years.
His most recent film, last year’s “Napoleon,” is no exception to this. The massive historical epic from Apple TV+ was released to theaters last fall to poor critical reception and low box office draw. Audiences were expecting a serious exploration of the life of one of history’s most controversial figures but were treated instead to a confusing, truncated story about toxic masculinity and toxic relationships masquerading as a period epic.
But I’ve reserved my judgment on the film. I waited 10 months to form a coherent opinion on it, until the surprise release of its director’s cut on Apple TV+ last month, with the hope that an extended cut would loosen the film up and improve it. Unfortunately, “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” mostly exists to double down on the parts of the film that don’t work.
Both the theatrical and director’s cuts of the film are monsters. At three and a half hours, the longer cut still feels packed to the gills in its ambition to document the rise and fall of the famous French emperor. Unfortunately, the film mostly succeeds at adding more scenes rather than condensing decades of history into a coherent narrative.
