Ridley Scott fans rejoice, because Apple has just released a director's cut of the iconic filmmaker's film. Napoleon movie on their streaming service.
Five months later NapoleonThe film version of 's was initially uploaded to Apple TV Plus, the historical epic will receive a feature-length update with plenty of never-before-seen footage. In fact, Napoleon: The Director's Cut It will be 48 minutes longer than the film that hit theaters last November, meaning the running time of this version is a whopping three hours and 26 minutes.
Napoleon: The Director's Cut is now available to stream with 48 minutes of new footage. Available only on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/b64x4DkfA0August 29, 2024
A cut that runs almost an hour longer than its predecessor? What on earth has Scott included in this version that the legendary auteur had already left on the cutting room floor? I'm glad you asked, dear reader. And, just so you don't mind, here's an idea of what you can expect from this extended cut, courtesy of an Apple press release.
“Napoleon: The Director's Cut “The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader,” the press release reveals. “The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon's origins and his rapid and ruthless rise to emperor, seen through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
“The director's cut delves deeper into Josephine's origin story and features more extravagant costumes, new larger-than-life sets and the previously unseen Battle of Marengo scene. Audiences are also given more details about Napoleon's death, from his assassination attempt to his failed invasion of Russia.”
That's… a lot of new content, but I doubt it's enough to improve. NapoleonIt's on our list of the best Ridley Scott films, and I don't think it will completely change people's opinions of the film as a whole.
Why is that? Because from what I've read and heard, it's not very good. Now, I haven't seen NapoleonSo I can't list the problems I had with it, but there are plenty of others who weren't impressed with the film starring Phoenix and Kirby. A quick look at review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes confirms this, with mixed reviews from critics (it currently has a 58% critical score) and general viewers (59%).
Now, Rotten Tomatoes isn't the universal authority on whether a movie is good or bad. Its representative sample of opinions is pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but it does give us a sense of the common consensus around new movies once they're released. If enough people have said Napoleon It's a pretty mediocre movie, most likely. That's despite the fact that Napoleon earned three Oscar nominations and four BAFTA nominations during the 2024 awards circuit (N.B: It also did not win any of the awards it was nominated for.)
So as much as I admire many of Scott's films (I'm a big fan of… Gladiator, Foreign, Blade Runner, The Martian, American Gangster, Hannibaland Thelma and Louise I couldn't particularly bring myself to watch. NapoleonFaced with the prospect of spending an extra 50 minutes watching a movie I probably won't enjoy, I simply can't face the prospect of watching it online. Napoleon: The Director's Cuteither. Sorry Ridley, nothing personal, but not only is this one of your movies that I won't be downloading on one of the best streaming services in the world, but I also doubt that its extended version will have enough to rejoin our list of the best Apple TV Plus movies. I'm sure Gladiator II But I'll make it up to you!
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