Conquest of Paradise

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2004)

Another mammoth epic relying on Vangelis to hold it together.
Potential Spoilers ahead...
Yet another epic, tackled by the most daring director yet. An epic this scale requires a visionary, not a "people-person."
Obviously, Stone draws common traits from his id. There's his usual misogyny, some aspirations of power, serpents, and history obsession. Add some drug-induced panic. Let simmer. Pray for the best. Looks pretty silly now, didn't in 'Born on the Fourth'. I'll skip acting and story comments. If you want to know more about Alexander, read a book. Besides, I don't want a story getting in the way of the vision.
The battles--especially in India--are better than what we've seen this year; more confusion than 'Troy', but without the energy that Ridley brought to 'Gladiator.' Stone's problem, once again, is not finding a distinct vision in his chaos. Before this I watched 'Spy Game' and found a continuous vision inside all the gee-whiz editing so this isn't impossible on a larger scale.
Sure, we get the usual beheadings, some new (I guess trendy) cruelty to animals, parades, and grand sets. All to be quickly forgotten--only the India battle registers. The only place really left for the genre to go is the sexual dimension.
Here's where Stone throws his trademark controversy engine, but his sexuality (literal and implied, hetero and not) has always been the dull sort. Maybe Ridley will get it right next time.
Like 'Alexander', Stone probably outdid himself in the wrong areas.
(As a side note: Vangelis gets to wrap things up nicely.)