Alexander was Great!

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2004)

I don't know why this movie is getting so much bad press. From complaints about the 3 hours plus running time, to assertions about wooden acting, I went expecting this movie to be a waste of time. But after watching the history channel's History or Hollywood, I decided to take a chance, since, apparently, this movie is very accurate-given the little that is known about Alexander's private life and thoughts.
I found that this movie is, first and foremost, for those who are into history and other cultures and especially Greek mythos and culture. The ethos and peoples of that time were, of course, different from those of our time and-specifically-our culture. In a thousand years, others will look back on our culture and time and find them very alien to theirs with few similarities.
Beyond that, this film shows the genius and humanity of this great man and what situations and experiences made him who he was. The bulk of the movie is couched between two great pivotol battles, the first against the Persian Empire and the second against India. Although I found these battles to be highly realistic and amazing, given the strategy that these peoples employed, the movie is less battle and more about character. If you go for blood and guts without substance, you won't like this movie; it engages the mind and emotions more than anything else. But the acting, I thought, was quite good; especially from Colin Farrell, Val Kilmer-not usually a favorite of mine, and Angelina Jolie-who has disappointed in the past. But decide for yourself, it is, after all, only my opinion. By the way, for me the 3 plus hours flew by pretty quickly. And all this from a guy who really prefers women.