Expectations ran high...

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2005)

Alexander is, without doubt, a breathtaking movie. The scenes depicting the battle of Gaugamela can be used in any presentation dealing with warfare in classical times. But somehow, the script starts losing itself after the triumphal entry of Alexander in Babylon. No doubt there will be viewers who'll disagree with me. But in the course of the movie, the central figure Alexander loses more and more depth, while the surrounding ones, including his wife Roxana, gain it. It could well be that Stone tried to convey to us the feeling of loss of direction overwhelming the Macedonians, but to me it felt particularly unsettling. At one point, I even grew tired of the many homosexual escapades of Alexander, wondering what essential elements that number actually did add to the storyline. I have to say that it did not.
Maybe it's because after seeing so many spectacle war movies with special effects, like Gladiator, Pearl Harbour and King Arthur, I am wondering whether I am supposed to look at the horrors and butchery of those times, or to learn more from the central figures. I long for the drama and the depth of older productions of the same kind and could even stand a bit of old-fashioned morale embroidered in the story. Enough of that crude hyperrealism embellished by smart special effects. Please have mercy and give us normal movies again!