Modern epics seem so much emptier and soulless than the big technicolor spectacles they made back then. Napoleon (2023) is OK, but compare it with films like Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Dr. Zhivago, etc. and it really suffers as far as involvement and entertainment. It's not just the CGI. Modern epics are just like flat soda compared to the classic era of epic films.
shareI agree, but it's hard to say exactly why the 1950s and 1960s historical epics were better. For one thing, the film of that period was different from digital video or even current film, and it seems to give those older movies a richer look. Also, CGI is useful and good for certain things, but it's overused now, and often has a "video game" look. And most of the actors and actresses back then were more charismatic than most are today.
shareI think the writing was better too.
shareThe Green Knight, The Northman, The Lost City of Z, and The Last Duel were all pretty good. But unfortunately they were box office flops.
shareor more specifacally. the 70's. (waterloo)
which in that movie the actor actually looked like napoleon and that movie had actual historically accruate practical battles and not ugly cgi fest like this turd