People complain about a movie they don't understand.

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2004)

Alexander is NOT your typical Hollywood epic. It actually incorporates slightly experimental film-making techniques. Oliver Stone took risks in making this movie into what he did, and it was driven by an artistic, NOT monetary vision.
Good things: Angelina Jolie did work as Olympias. You see the way she interacts with her son as a child (who looks exactly like Colin Farrell), so the relationship carries over gracefully with believable acting.
Colin Farrell was incredible. All the acting done in his face alone was incredible for an action epic of this scale. He internalized the character, and Stone graciously focused in on that. Colin Farrell deserves a nomination.
Not so good: The first battle scene was terrible because there was no clarity in the action at all. The ending scene was interesting, and I'll leave it at that.
Jared Leto as Hephaistion...I can't decide if this was under Stone's direction or if this is a casting issue, but I felt that he was attempting to seduce Alexander the entire time. That is NOT what Alexander/Hephaistion or the frequently-referred-to Achilles/Patroclus relationship is about! It's suppose to be about two boys who are childhood friends who grow up together falling in love. Playing up each individual's homosexuality was unnecessary. This year's Troy did a better job of sticking to love that develops homoerotically as opposed to homosexual characters.
Rosario Dawson was miscast and did nothing for the film.
Overall, this film deserves a few nominations. It was filled with passion from the director, the actors and the characters created, and many films lack that completely.
Acting 10/10, Style 10/10, Narrative 6/10