Watch the all-new trailer for The Dog Stars below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world until a mysterious radio transmission spurs Hig to venture into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists.

Revealed at this year’s CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, The Dog Stars is an adaptation of the best-selling book by Peter Heller, and throws audiences into a riveting, epic thriller set in a world where survival is instinct, but humanity is a choice.

Packing together a fantastic cast which is lead by key Hollywood rising star Jaocb Elordi as Hig, a reclusive pilot, who hasn’t let his humanity escape him, alongside Josh Brolin’s aloof, gun-toting Ex-Marine Survivalist Bangley, Hig soon finds himself in conversation with Cima (Margaret Qualley), a young medic, whom he soon starts developing feelings for, an is thrown into an adventure of pure survival and hope as this unlikely trio tries to reconnect with civilisation outside of their self-imposed quarantine zone.

Scott draws in both a sense of heavy drama, intense thrills, and explosive action, along with delivering his quintessential standout visuals that have long been a key element of his storytelling process, and The Dog Stars is set to be an innovative and scattershot tale of survival against all odds that will utterly pull audiences into the towering drama that is unfolding before them. There’s a big canvas at play as well, and from the look of this first trailer its clear that The Dog Stars is going to be a grand cinematic spectacle.

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The rush arrives August 27 when The Dog Stars hits cinemas.

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Watch the all-new trailer for Alien: Earth below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.

Gifted showrunner Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) is the man in charge here, and with his unique ability to shape narratives and have audiences holding on for dear life, his presence directing the events of Alien: Earth is sure to leave audiences in the pangs of fright.

Set two years before, and serving as a prequel, to Sir Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror masterpiece Alien, (Scott also serves as an executive producer) on the series, Alien: Earth will take audiences further into the twisted dealings of the Weyland-Yutani corporation and their cotinued obsession with the Xenomorph lifeform, alongside a whole host of other sinister alien threats.

This new trailer is incredibly cryptic in its set-up and style, and it doesn’t stray to any specific narrative points, instead giving audiences a feel of what is to come. One of the most interesting features of the new series will be the presence of Sydney Chandler as Wendy, the first hybrid (someone who has the body of a robot and consciousness of a human), who is tasked with capturing the Xenomorph and continues with Scott’s fascination with artificial life. Also of keen interest to us is the presence of Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Wendy’s synthetic mentor and trainer, with Olyphant bringing an incredibly interesting look and take on the character of a synthetic, and we’re sure there’ll be plenty of surprises and twists in store with his character.

Recently, the Alien franchise grabbed new ground with the superb, and scary, Alien: Romulus, and now with Alien: Earth we’ve got a very intriguing, long-form story that audiences can really sink their teeth into…. including the impending horrors that will arrive.

Ready yourself to experience absolute terror when Alien: Earth arrives on Disney+ on August 13.

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Over two decades after the events of Gladiator, Lucius (Paul Mescal) — the grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus — lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by the story of Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the tutelage of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).

2000’s Gladiator was an epic for the ages that resurrected the Roman epic onto the big screen and created a character and story that so many still hold so close to their hearts through its message of heroism and stoicism in the face of suffering and hardship. It was a film that conquered the box office and was lauded on the Awards circuit, including winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now, twenty-four years later, Sir Ridley Scott has decided that it is time for him to return to Ancient Rome for Gladiator II. And you will be entertained. Picking up the story 20 years after the defeat of Commodus and the death of Maximus, Marcus Aurelius’ dream of Rome is now a forgotten idea, and tyranny grips the streets of a once noble city. A new hero must rise to claim the legacy of Aurelius’ dream, and the resulting drama will leave you mesmerised.

Scott’s exceptional talent for worldbuilding is on full display as he and his talented team of collaborators, including film legends such as production designer Arthur Max, costume designer Janty Yates, cinematographer John Matheson and composer Harry Gregson-Williams, a protegee of Hans Zimmer, unleash their talents. The result is a film of epic scale that is double the size of the original film and firmly cements audiences directly in the colossal scale of the Roman empire. From the scars of the battle plains of Numidia to the grandeur of the Roman forum and the monumental scale and lavish entertainments of the arena of the Colosseum, all of them are constructed with such meticulous attention to detail that you are pulled deeper into this epic picture. Gladiator II is an example of why Ridley Scott can be considered a master of the cinematic craft, and his handling of the visual spectacle of his film helps to drive home the film’s dramatic and intense story of revolution.

Hollywood’s latest rising star, Paul Mescal, steps into the role of the film’s hero, Lucius, and he cuts a heroic figure of strong masculine power in Gladiator II. Lucuis’ journey in this second part of the Gladiator narrative is one of discovery, as he is a man who has to rediscover the life and legacy he left behind. It’s a character arc which is not unlike Maximus, and while there are hints of similarity between the two characters, Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa have given Mescal plenty of room to develop Lucius in his own direction. Physically, Mescal has completely transformed for the part, packing on a good solid block of muscle, and Lucius is overtaken by sheer feralness when he walks upon the sands of the arena. There’s a burning rage to his character’s actions, and it’s only as he opens up to the ‘Dream of Rome’ and his need to fight for it that the hero that this once great empire finally emerges.

Over the past few years, Mescal has been rapidly scaling the heights of Hollywood, and with his performance in Gladiator II, he now cements himself as his generation’s leading man. Bold and strong in both body and emotion, he commands the audience’s attention and holds the centre of the screen with his presence and authority. For Mescal, Lucius’s character demands a far more active and physically present performance. Still, he also taps into his ability to channel deeply resonated emotion, which is a key part of his performance. Mescal also taps into the tradition of Stoic philosophy in the journey that he must undertake as Lucuis, and through the course of Gladiator II’s narrative, you see him come to embody the virtues of Marcus Aurelius in his character’s journey and all of these subtleties and subtexts that he can tap into add to the complexity of his performance.

In addition to Mescal, Scott packs out his cast with a group of phenomenal performers, and their talent reigns in this picture. Hollywood’s current king of cool, Pedro Pascal, steps into the role of the honourable General Marcus Acacius. A soldier who has dedicated himself to the glory of Rome and who is untouchable in battle, Acacius has now grown tired of the barbarity of his civilised nation and seeks another path for the Roman state. Pascal is not only exceedingly dashing as Acacius, but his raw honesty and deep integrity craft a stoic presence that will leave every woman in the audience falling head over heels for him in the picture. Pascal’s Acacius also happens to be the husband of Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, who has survived the snake pit of Rome’s politics for twenty years. The beautiful Connie Nielen again returns to the role, and she has an incredible dramatic presence on screen and is a key driver to the plot’s action. And she shares a profound chemistry with both of the film’s leading men.

Bringing the villainy to the screen in Gladiator II in two dual striking performances are Joseph Quinn as the vicious Emperor Geta and Fred Hechinger as the sadistic Emperor Caracalla, and both make their mark on the narrative. Alluding to the history of ‘Romulus and Remas’, Geta and Caracalla are a pair of spoiled, spiteful and rotten princes who see the ruling of Rome as a game and who lavish in entertainments, excesses and games, despite the chaos that surrounds them. In elaborate blonde wigs, powdered faces, and gaudy togas, the two make a statement on screen, and their corruption and avarice haunt those all about them. Scott gives Quinn and Hechinger room to play on screen, with Quinn’s Geta being the more calculating of the two, while Hechinger’s Caracalla acts on pure wild impulse. Geta and Caracalla present a pair of bold and deranged new villains, and their madness holds the audience’s absolute attention on the screen.

Finally, bringing the narrative of Gladiator II together is two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington as the dominant, forceful and ruthless Macrinus. In his second collaboration with Scott, following their work on American Gangster, Washington begins crafting an absolute scene-stealing performance as Macrinus and again proves why he is one of the all-time greats. As a man who has risen from slavery to power, Macrinus is a smart, devious and brutal monster of a man who very much has his agenda at hand and who is wholly out for himself. Washington brings many layers to his performance, never revealing who he truly is until the film’s final act. Washington’s shifting nature as the character keeps audiences off guard, and it’s interesting to watch Macrinus reinterpret Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations for his pursuit of power and glory.

As a sheer spectacle, Gladiator II delivers on the full might of Ancient Rome. Sir Ridley Scott’s genius for worldbuilding and the ambience that this delivers to the experience is on full display. This picture balances heavy drama with brutal, violent action, and the narrative has a cracking pace. It is big, bold, and bloody; from the start, Sir Ridley Scott is not holding back. From an epic naval siege on the coast of Numidia to the brutal fights of the area, including Lucius taking on a charging rhino and engaging in a mock naval battle in a flooded Colosseum, Scott has expanded the scale of this picture in every direction, and the action scenes hit even harder this time around. The crux of this battle comes down to a mano-o-mano brawl between Lucuius and Acacius as they enter the arena in a fight to the death, and blood flows in this brutal battle where only one can survive. Scott has continually upped the ante with his action scenes, and Gladiator II is the culmination of his skill as a filmmaker.

However, while there is much blood and decapitations in Gladiator II, the film’s primary focus rests on exploring Marcus Aurelius’s long-forgotten idea of the ‘Dream of Rome’. This thematic idea of a golden empire left to ruin and which must be reborn, shapes the film’s narrative in very interesting ways. It’s through Lucuis’ actions that the dream of Rome forms as we watch him rise from a savage brute whose only concern is survival to becoming accepting of his name, title, lineage and destiny, and it is in this acceptance of his responsibility and calling that a hero is born. This thematic exploration of recusing the idea of Rome is shaped by all of the characters in the picture, especially those of Lucius and Macrinus, and their actions leave an impression on the audience. This heightened political tension and spark of revolution leads to plenty of dramatic tension on screen and makes the narrative’s action much more heightened.

Along with Scott’s exploration of the making of the ‘Dream of Rome’, there is this carry-over of Maximus’ calling of ‘Strength and Honour’, and these two words and their implicit meanings have a grand impact on Gladiator II and the actions of Mescal’s Lucius. This film is quintessentially masculine, and it explores the idea of the making of a hero in such minute detail. Scott has long been obsessed with the inner workings of the heroic character and has explored it through multiple projects and characters throughout his career. In Gladiator II, he takes a different path from the original film, where Maximus had to hold onto his character, values and actions as the film’s hero; here, Lucuius must discover what it means to be one. Gladiator II has a profound message of asking its audiences to stand up for their beliefs and not to turn from the righteous path. With its grand narrative and epic set pieces, this thematic messaging leaves its mark on the audience.

Gladiator II is a remarkable film created by a master filmmaker, offering an epic cinematic experience of immense scale and impact. The narrative, performances, design, action, and score all contribute to its outstanding production and presentation, immersing you in the visceral excitement of the arena. As the saying goes, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” and like its predecessor, Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II will leave a lasting impression.

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Now audiences have the chance to get an incredible insight into the world of Gladiator II through the release of some utterly fantastic featurettes that highlight the film’s colossal world-building and the work and the effort that was needed to bring this grand story back to cinema screens.

Three new featurettes have recently been released. The first, titled ‘The Making of An Epic’ draws on Scott’s Gladiator, the massive impact that it has had on the world, and how Scott and his team now seek to resurrect the grandeur of Ancient Rome and tell the new chapter of this classic story.

A second featurette follows, which charts film composer Harry Gregson-Williams’ work on the new score for the film. A pupil and collaborator of the great Hans Zimmer, Gregson-Williams discusses how he’s looking to expand on and marry the work of Zimmer in Gladiator, often regarded as one of the most original cinema scores ever produced, along with looking to build out the character journey of Paul Mecal’s Lucius with that of Russell Crowe’s Maximus.

Finally audiences get the chance to experience the sheer physical extremes that Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal put themselves through to be worthy of the Colosseum, and they both brought an incredible level of intensity to their parts.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Over two decades after the events of Gladiator, Lucius (Paul Mescal) — the grandson of Rome’s former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) — lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invade, killing his wife and forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by Maximus, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator under the teaching of Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former slave who plots to overthrow the young emperors Caracalla and Geta.

Gladiator II is shaping up to be a true epic for the cinema screens and audiences will be able to experienceSir Ridley Scott’s grandiose vision when it arrives in cinemas on November 14.

Image: Paramount Pictures

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This all-new trailer is packed full of dynamic action and sweeping character moments and gives a taste of the fight and fury that is to come as Sir Ridley Scott returns to the next chapter of this thrilling story. Following in Maximus’s legacy, a new hero arises from the sands of the Colosseum and sets Rome ablaze in a burning blaze of rebellion and revolution.

Watch the brand-new trailer for Gladiator II below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honour to return the glory of Rome to its people.

This new trailer takes audiences right into the heart of the action of Gladiator II and finds rising Hollywood star Paul Mescal as Lucius, the estranged and lost son to Lucilla (Connie Nielson), the sister to the former emperor Commodus, who, after being thrown into war with Rome is taken prisoner at the hands of the Roman General Acacius (Pedro Pascal) and finds himself as a slave to the vindictive power broker Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who desires to use Lucius to his own ends to further his vendetta against a pair of degenerate and corrupt emperors, and to inspire a revolution in Rome.

It’s utterly epic stuff, and this new trailer throws audiences right into the heart of the action that finds Lucius battling the Roman Army, raging baboons, a mock naval battle, and facing down a charging rhino on the sands of the Colosseum. And all of it will cause your adrenaline to skyrocket, and you’ll be in an absolute fever pitch of excitement. I was especially impressed with the level of scale and scope that the new trailer showcased, and it’s clear that Sir Ridley Scott is holding nothing back in his desire to unleash a Roman epic of colossal height.

 

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Watch the official trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honour to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Twenty-four years after he resurrected Ancient Rome, Sir Ridley Scott once again returns to the time of antiquity for an epic action adventure that sees Paul Mescal’s Lucius Verus, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielson) who has long forgotten his royal lineage falling into a war for Rome’s greater supremacy and that sees him condemned to fight in the arena. With strength and honour, he rises up to become a brutally efficient and capable gladiator and sets on inspiring a revolution that could befall this corrupt city.

Mescal looks utterly possessed as Lucius, and he’s put in some serious time at the gym to turn himself into a beast of a fighter as he engages in everything from a mock sea battle that finds the Colosseum flooded with water and crocodiles as war galleys fight amongst each other, along with seeing him take on a full-on charging rhino that will make audiences sit up and go WOW! Mescal was hand-picked for the role by Scott, and with his considerable dramatic presence, he’s sure to make a major impression on audiences.

This new trailer, which follows on the heels of the recent first-look imagery, gives audiences a deeper look into two key characters in the narrative: arms broker Macrinus (Denzel Washington), a former gladiator now turned wealthy merchant, who keeps a school of gladiators for sport, and who has a score to settle with the twisted young Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). There’s a power and magnetic presence to Washington’s Macrinus, and it’s fantastic to see him once again working within Scott’s direction. Another key character present is Pedro Pascal’s General Marcus Acacius, who served under Maximus as a legionary and who has risen to a great command but who is now weary of the blood and sacrifice that is needed to keep Rome’s empire in dominion. There’s a strength of personality to Pascal’s Acacius, along with a world-weary presence that will allow Pascal to show off his considerable dramatic chops.

Returning to this picture in a key role is Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, the mother to Lucius and a former lover to Maximus, who, through cunning and influence, has survived Rome’s vicious snake pit of politics but who now finds herself ambushed by Geta and Caracalla. Having feared that her son may long be dead, their reunion makes for a dramatic moment, and it will be interesting to see how Lucilla’s character has developed over the twenty-plus years since the original story.

Finally, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger bring a snivelling, petulant menace to their roles as Co-Emperors Geta and Caracalla. These two festering bodies of narcissistic sadism are almost like Romulus and Remus went wrong, and with their twisted whims and demand for spectacle, are ready to burn Rome and its empire to the ground to stoke their own egotism and sick desires. With their elaborate armour, blonde hair, and white chalked-up make-up, they will make for a memorable pair of villains and give Mescal’s Lucius a pair of worthy adversaries to topple.

Everything about this new trailer for Gladiator II speaks to epic strides, and audiences will feel the mighty presence of the Roman Empire once again. Sir Ridley Scott is known for his ability to build worlds, and he’ll bring a considerable presence and might to the Roman Empire as he takes audiences from the coastline of Numidia to the slave pits of Morocco to the almighty Colosseum, a temple dedicated to blood and sand, in the middle of Rome. And audiences will be swept up in all of it. Scott also promises thunderous action, along with some heavy political intrigue, and you will be entertained.

Gladiator II is undoubtedly my most anticipated film of 2024, and I was utterly amazed by this first trailer. Gladiator is undoubtedly my favourite film of all time, and to see Sir Ridley Scott return to the sands of the Colosseum is a cause for excitement. I’m very intrigued to see what comes next with this epic blockbuster.

 

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Prepare to return to the beating heart of Rome for an utterly epic cinematic event when Gladiator II arrives in cinemas on November 14.

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Sir Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II is a cinematic event 2,000 years in the making as he once again returns to resurrect the Colosseum and the savagery of Ancient Rome in the hotly anticipated sequel to his Oscar-winning masterwork Gladiator, and a new hero in Paul Mescal is set to rise in this epic cinema event.

Now thanks to Vanity Fair, we have our first look at Gladiator II ahead of the trailer release on July 9, and the imagery promises a lavish and large production of revenge and redemption that sees Paul Mescal’s now-grown Lucius Verus falling back into the hands of the Roman Empire, which is now under the despotic rule of co-Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), and must fight for survival and to ignite burning revolution.

The imagery showcases Sir Ridley Scott’s incredible world-building and promises an event of Herculian size as Mescal’s Lucius takes on the might of the Republic. Mescal looks utterly jacked in the role, and his physical transformation was driven more by his need to function athletically rather than for mere aesthetic reasons. “I just wanted to be big and strong and look like somebody who can cause a bit of damage when shit hits the fan,” he says. “I think also, sometimes, one could, in striving for that perfect look, end up looking more like an underwear model than a warrior.”

While audiences can expect a heap of blood and violence, Scott and Mescal were more interested in looking into the psychology of these inhuman acts on their characters and analysing the politics of dominance and the will to win, both in the arena and in the palace.

“What human beings will do to survive, but also what human beings will do to win. We see that in the arena, but also in the political struggle that’s going on outside of my character’s storyline, where you see there are other characters striving and pulling for power. Where’s the space for humanity? Where’s the space for love and familial connection? And ultimately, will those things overcome this kind of greed and power? Those things are oftentimes directly in conflict with each other.”

Gladiator II also sports an incredible level of talent in its ranks, and headlining the film alongside Mescal is two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington as Macrinus, a former gladiator and now freedman who has become a successful merchant and broker who has built up a massive fortune trading in raw materials such as food, steel and slaves, and who holds a personal grudge against the emperors; Pedro Pascal stars as Marcus Acacius, a Roman general said to have trained as a junior officer under Maximus (Russell Crowe), and who is sent to the arena for questioning the authority of the emperors; while Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as co-emperors Geta and Caracalla, who have been described by Ridley Scott as being ‘damaged goods from birth’, and their corruption and sinister tastes are bringing the once great Roman Empire to its knees.

Connie Neilson returns to the picture as Lucilla, the lover of Maximus, sister to Commodus, and mother to Lucius. Neilsomn’s Lucilla has not seen her son in many years, having sent him away to safeguard him from threats within Rome, and their reunion will be rather savage in the new film. Neilson’s Lucilla also has to contend with the threat of Geta and Caracalla, and there are plenty of snakes and dangers present in Rome for her to contend with.

Gladiator II is shaping up to be an incredible cinematic event. With the press coverage of its first showing at CinemaCon and now with these new-look images, we’re ready to be entertained. Sir Ridley Scott is bringing everything of himself as an artist and filmmaker to this epic project, and the scale and action of this picture will leave you entertained.

Gladiator II will arrive in theatres on November 14.

Images: Paramount Pictures

Source: Vanity Fair

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As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Gladiator II swept audiences in the most appropriate place: the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The footage on display dazzled audiences.

It features a special introduction from the legend himself, Sir Ridley Scott, who described the film as ” possibly even more extraordinary than the first.” Rising star Paul Mescal commented that it was a ‘standout moment’ in his life to date, and two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington promised that the film was filled with ’emotion and spectacle.’

Footage displayed a thoroughly jacked Mescal, who is a gladiator thrown into the fray and sees him fighting murderous baboons, as well as a soldier on a rhinoceros. At one point, the Colosseum is filled with water for an epic ship battle.

It also seems that Mescal’s character is inspired by Crowe’s Maximus. “I remember that day. I never forgot it. That a slave could take revenge against an emperor. That a slave could get justice in the arena,” he says at one point in the footage, referencing the climax of the first film.

New details from the footage also reveal profoundly anti-war politics, with Pedro Pascal playing a Roman military figure who no longer wants to sacrifice Rome’s young men to war and death and is thus condemned to fight as a gladiator, while Washington is a former gladiator turned arms dealer who becomes a guide to Mescal’s revolutionary, and who has bitter grudge against Rome’s new emperors, Caracalla (Joseph Quinn) and Geta (Fred Hechinger). Quinn’s initial performance has been lauded by those lucky enough to get a first look at the footage, and Caracalla is said to be even more murderous and insane than Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

While little detail is currently known of Gladiator II and its immense epic story, its sounding very clear that audiences will be entertained when this bold feat of filmmaking lands in cinemas on November 21.

Image: Universal Pictures

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Sir Ridley Scott reigns supreme when it comes to utter visionaries of the cinematic arts. As a director with the seamless ability to transition from genre to genre and who can create worlds of enormous size and scale, no one is more skilled than him. With a long list of desirable credits, including Alien, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and The Last Duel, Scott now turns his attention to his most lavish and expansive project yet, Napoleon, which brings to life the French Revolution and the path that it would create for a young, talented and ambitious Corsican soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte, who through ingenuity, skill, and ruthless ambitious would climb to the heights of utter power. Scott brings to life with Napoleon an extraordinary vision that balances a taut and complex personal drama with that of nation-rattling epic war drama, and audiences will be left awe-struck.

The films of Ridley Scott carry with them an incredible visual flair, and the great director’s background as a draftsman and painter has led him to craft some of the most beautiful images ever brought to the cinema screen. Napoleon is no exception, and its imagery is wrapped in a gorgeous Baroque light channelled from the height of the Napoleonic age. And it makes for a stunning viewing experience. Cinematography, production design, art direction, costume design, prop design and score all work together to build this incredibly ambitious project, whose presentation feels like the grandest of operas. Napoleon is a lavishly visual feat from its depiction of the Revolution and the Reign of Terror to the decadence, splendour and hedonism that followed in the palaces and balls of the era, to the awe-inspiring feats of combat and battle that would re-shape Europe, all of it is presented on screen with such majesty by Scott.

Napoleon is a grand and opulent piece of cinema to behold, and the lavish luxury of the new aristocracy sweeps the audience up in the picture thanks to the beauty of its Baroque imagery. But it’s the film’s explosive battles where the dynamic energy of the picture truly stands out, and the experience of these battles is utterly awe-inspiring. During his life, Napoleon Bonaparte fought 61 battles, and Scott captured six of the most decisive ones in Napoleon. The director gives each of these set pieces their own rhythm and style, and each is a marking point for the developing life of Napoleon. At the Siege of Toulon in 1793, we find the young Napoleon using sheer force and youthful aggression to overwhelm British forces. And it is a bloody, violent affair. At the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798, his cannons made Egypt shake and quiver. His brilliant, devious, and Machivallein’s mind came into play at his decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 that cemented his power through continental Europe. Then there is the mighty Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, which defined the Napoleonic Age. It is captured with such force by Scott, and it is one of the most audacious and explosive battle scenes ever committed to the silver screen.

Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix leads from the front in Napoleon as the great general turned emperor. He offers up a dynamic and fully-formed presence as the great conqueror. Pheonix is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and this talent was itself shaped by Scott in his exceptional performance as Commodus in 2000’s Gladiator. Now, more than twenty years later, these two collaborators have returned for Napoleon, and Phoenix is flawless in his performance as Bonaparte. He completely disappears into the commander’s presence and offers a performance of chiselled focus and frenzied egotism. The actor captures Bonaparte’s chaotic and aggressive personal life and balances it out against his natural strategic mind and gift for the battle that led him to be called a Master of War. Phoenix also finds himself in the fray’s vanguard and is always in the very midst of the fight. But it’s in Bonaparte’s aggressive desire for power and glory where Joaquin Phoenix’s performance truly excels, and it’s one for the ages.

Facing Joaquin Phoenix is English thespian Vanessa Kirby, whose star is rapidly rising, and she delivers an utterly flawless performance as Bonaparte’s lower and consort, Empress Josephine. Kirby shows an incredible range as Josephine, a complex and difficult woman who, on one side, is deeply affectionate and flirtatious, the other cold and abrasive and scornful of her husband’s infatuations, driving him in his grasp for power. There is a twisted co-dependence and masochism shared between the two of them, and you feel that Josephine was an ever greater strategist than her husband, as he could never fully possess her. Kirby captures the true spirit of the character, with her position as a glamourous host and trendsetter is juxtaposed with her lavish party girl antics, with her actions getting under her husband’s skin. Kirby’s performance has many shifting layers, and raw emotion shapes her role as Josephine. Her natural glamour and elegance add to the poise of her performance, and Kirby keeps Phoenix on his toes just as Josephine kept Napoleon on his.

The Napoleonic Age gave rise to some of the most dynamic characters to ever live, and Scott captures their presence with the intellect of a historian and an artist’s eye. He’s assembled a cast of some of the best talent working today, and their combined skill brings the Napoleonic Age to life. Tahar Rahim is the astute and worldly Paul Barras, a leading figure in the events that follow the Reign of Terror and who foresees the talent in Bonaparte and looks to put him to use. As Napoleon’s scheming political alley and foreign minister Talleyrand, Paul Rhys brings a formidable and deadly intelligence to a man that elevated Bonaparte’s ambitions. And finally, the great Rupert Everett gives a scene-stealing performance as Arthur Wellesley, The Duke of Wellington, a man esteemed as one of the greatest military commanders ever. Everett is completely stirling in the role, capturing Wellington’s perfect ‘stiff upper lip’ pragmatism. Quick-witted and adeptly sharp, Everett’s performance is a tribute to Wellington’s command of Waterloo and delivered as a pure class piece.

Scott’s Napoleon is an epic for the ages, and its scale and size eclips his previous works. This picture captures the passion and fire of the Napoleonic Era and the events and characters that would change the course of the world’s destiny forever. Napoleon is immense and grand in both production and delivery, and Scott spares none of the violence, sex, emotion, or intimacy of the picture. All of it makes for an operatic experience. The great director applies no filters to the chaos and destruction of Napoleon’s wars and his examination of how far ambition can take a man. The conflict of drama meshes with the destruction of battle and is wrapped up in the glory of conquest for a gigantic viewing experience.

Napoleon is a grand and immense spectacle, and it truly captures the spirit of both the man and the era that bore his name. It’s also a testament to the skill and command of Sir Ridley Scott and is utterly epic to witness.

Image: Sony Pictures

The post ‘Napoleon’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Watch the all-new trailer for Napoleon below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

As a filmmaker, Sir Ridley Scott is one of the greatest cinema artists working today. Whenever he steps behind the camera, he creates incredible cinematic works, and his long list of credits which includes the likes of Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster and The Last Duel, is a testament to his skill and vision. Now Scott brings to life the audacious and incredible story of Napoleon Bonaparte, who, through ingenuity, skill and relentless ambition, would rise to become Emperor of France and conquer much of Europe in the process.

Building off of the first teaser trailer, this new trailer for Napoleon focuses on the soldier turned general turned tyrant’s tireless pursuit of power and the volatile and almost masochistic relationship he shared with his lover and wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Both Phoenix and Kirby have perfect chemistry that is shared between the two of them, and Scott revs up the drama between the two of them for a picture that will have you on edge.

Napoleon is far and away Scott’s grandest picture to date, and that is indeed saying something. The great director fully captures the scale, pageantry and chaos of the Napoleonic Wars, and its incredible battle sequences will make cinemas quake. This is a picture that brings together all of Scott’s immense talent for the art of cinema, and it will be an absolute must-watch on IMAX screens.

 

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Prepare for a powerful and dramatic epic when Napoleon arrives in cinemas on November 23.

Image: Sony Pictures

The post Sir Ridley Scott brings a grand epic to the screen with ‘Napoleon’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.