Release Of First Trailer For Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' Is Apparently Cause For Discourse About How Napoleon Was Bad, Actually

The first trailer for Ridley Scott's much-anticipated historical biopic Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, dropped yesterday to much fanfare across social media.

While there has already been some quibbling about the historical accuracy of some of the events shown in the trailer, some have expressed a perhaps more pressing concern: Does the film make Napoleon Bonaparte look too cool?

In a near-rehash of the debate surrounding Joaquin Pheonix's Joker, a section of social media was devoted to making sure people knew Napoleon Bonaparte was a bad person and not someone one should look up to.

One Twitter user, Portsmouth University historian David Andress, drew particular attention when he tweeted, "Napoleon Bonaparte was a TERRIBLE PERSON. He was a TYRANT. He betrayed every ideal he ever claimed to stand for. He was a shameless pathological liar who killed millions of people for his own insatiable vanity. He is literally one of the worst people in history."

It's unclear if Andress' tweets were a reaction to the depiction of Napoleon in the film's trailer or a response to some posts from unknown users who expressed they thought Napoleon looked cool. His tweets echo criticisms of Napoleon made by many historians before him, who have argued that Napoleon caused needless deaths in France through war, implemented harmful policies overseas (including slavery in French colonies) and propped up his image through the use of propaganda. Some have gone so far as to compare Napoleon to Adolf Hitler.

While this may be Andress' perspective in a centuries-long debate over the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, many felt it may have been too hyperbolic a reaction to a trailer that doesn't seem to quite be glorifying Napoleon.

Others posted memes about Andress' tweet, joking that it was the first time they'd ever heard about Napoleon's negative qualities, with several recalling a Norm Macdonald bit about Adolf Hitler.

The film doesn't release until November, so it will be some time before we know for sure if Ridley Scott has made Napoleon sufficiently "evil" for some folks' tastes. That being said, it seems Twitter is well aware that Napoleon may not have been that swell of a guy, regardless of how he's portrayed in the upcoming feature.