Fortune did not favor Stone's bold film

Rating: 7/10 (27 September 2005)

When Alexander was released on DVD, I was reminded of a joke Billy Crytal made when he hosted the Oscars: "A new director's cut of 'Gigli' will be released which will run 2 hours shorter." Audiences have the option of viewing the original theatrical cut of Alexander, and a new director's cut that is actually 8 minutes shorter. I have seen both versions, and there's not really much of a difference. Stone tones down some of the gay undertones in the director's cut, conforming to many criticisms. He also evens out the flashbacks a bit, which I think works better. It doesn't really matter which version you watch, if you don't like one you won't like the other, simple as that. Honestly, I only bought the director's cut because the entire movie fits on one disc. I liked Alexander, and it was by no means a bad movie.
Stone explores Alexander The Great's personal life more than his battle tactics, which many believed to be a bad move. In a way, it was. Anyone who views the film alone would probably never get a grasp of what a brilliant mind he actually was. What I thought was very interesting though, was Alexander's unquenchable thirst to conquer new worlds, to push further, until it inevitably destroyed him. Ironically not dying in a battle, but in his bed, taken ill by bad water. So what drove Alexander? Was it to desperately win approval from his parents? Stone's vision seems to think this played a big part. While all the elements come together to make Alexander far more emotionally vulnerable than say, Maximus from Gladiator or Spartacus from...Spartacus, we're given an unexpected new kind of historical epic protagonist. I guess some people just didn't want to accept it, or maybe weren't ready for it.
Alexander was not a bad movie. It is at times a little misguided, and there are some aspects that just didn't fly too well, but overall it was very good. Stone has given us a unique look at one of history's greatest figures. It did not do well financially, and some of its critics were absolutely merciless, but you'll never know until you judge it for yourself.
My rating: 7/10