Terrible film - wasted opportunity

Rating: 2/10 (30 January 2005)

I was looking forward to seeing this film but came away bitterly disappointed - as did my husband, a history buff, who was more eager than I to see Alexander 'come to life' as it were. My criticism with the film has nothing to do with Alexander's relationship with Hephaistion (most who criticise the critics seem to assume this could be the only reason for criticism) but with the wealth of historical events completely omitted. One critic put it best when she wrote: 'Alexander may have conquered the world but you never understand how or why in this movie.' (Jackie Cooper). We never fully appreciate in the film Alexander's abilities as a military leader; his relationships with Hephaistion, his mother, his wives etc, get more coverage than this - and it is his abilities as General and leader that make him 'Great'! What of The Battle of Issus, the conquest of Asia Minor, the Siege of Tyre and the Gordium knot? And the arrow wound he suffers was not historically accurate; there was no siege of the city of Multan portrayed at all.
The main reason for disappointment is the fact that it had the potential to be a trilling epic about a brilliant military leader; instead it was a dull movie which focused predominantly on the non-military/leadership aspects of Alexander's life - not the 'Great' parts; one could be forgiven for thinking he was a relatively weak leader after 3 hours of drudgery. Don't waste your time or money on it; if you have any interest in Alexander hire a good documentary; they will provide much greater entertainment than this film.