I want to go home

Rating: 5/10 (6 February 2005)

What a mess. I wondered if Stone could 'do' ancient history.
Typically of Stone, the movie is glorious at times, with Alexandria and Babylon as stand outs. But this is despite of the story being told, not because of it. Farrell is miscast and is unable to conjur sympathy essential to his character. When his troops protest that they've suffered many casualties and made many sacrifices over seven years of following him - couldn't they just go home for a bit?... I found myself agreeing with them (having seen brutal casualties in Stones visceral style) and becoming irritated by Alexanders whining about 'conquering new frontiers' or some such rubbish. Its waaay too long and doesn't come close to Ridley Scott's Gladiator (itself a little too long).
But I'm being unkind. Its truly epic, with dramatic battle scenes that are suitably brutal. The idea of this band of Macedonian explorers is satisfying. Alexander is certainly better than Troy. Lets see what Ridley Scott can do with 'Kingdom of Heaven' - it needs to be good or the studios may fall out of love with the epic. Alexander is another nail in the coffin of the genre, Disappointing.