Director Ridley Scott has hit back at French film critics who gave negative reviews of his latest film, "Napoleon". Despite generally good reviews from UK critics, French reviewers likened the film to "Barbie and Ken under Empire". Yet Scott has brushed off these criticisms, saying "The French don't even like themselves... and the audience that I showed it to in Paris, they loved it." This is not the first time that the director has been in the news regarding the promotion of his new epic. Earlier this month, he responded to a TikTok explainer by historian Dan Snow criticizing the film's accuracy. Scott replied: "Get a life, I tend to be visual first. I'm not necessarily the world's best advocate for the writer's written word." "Napoleon" will be released in cinemas from 22 November and has a running time of 157 minutes. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte, tracking his rise to power and his relationship with Empress Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Other cast members include Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles and Robert Everett.