Vanessa Kirby as Josephine absolutely stole the show here. Joaquin Phoenix was ok in the role but he's had way better performances in movies like Gladiator, Her, and Joker.
There were also multiple scenes where it felt like Napoleon was a joke and came across as kind of funny but I don't think they were supposed to come across that way. It's mostly about his political life and I didn't really have any strong feelings on him by the end. We needed some scenes that showed his upbringing and why he formed his ideologies. The story does an ok job at telling the story of Napoleon's life but it doesn't feel like there's really enough there to understand who he is as a person.
The movie also captures France in that time period really well with the costumes and set design. I especially loved the battle over the frozen water. Ridley Scott did a very good job directing here, with the battle scenes being some of the best ever put to screen. Napoleon has a lot going for it but also some stuff holding it back from greatness.
