Tried too hard

Rating: 2/10 (4 September 2012)

First off, having read earlier ratings I have to address that Alexander was NOT gay, bisexual or whatever-sexual. It's highly anachronistic to claim that, as these categories did not exist in his days. Men having intimate relationships with other men was a common practice, but those engaging in it did not identify as gay or bi, just like those who only had sex with women did not identify as straight. It's extremely anachronistic to claim that Alexander was gay or bi, even though his intimate relationships with other men are a historical fact. The relationship between him and Jared Leto's character therefore cannot be called homosexual. Categories based on sexual preference are a modern phenomenon, and in earlier times intercourse between people of the same sex would have simply been called sodomy (with varying levels of tolerance). Now that I've gotten that off my chest, it's time to move on to the actual review.
While I can definitely appreciate the attempt to take on a fresh view of Alexander and am all for "shocking" and revolutionary takes on historical figures, this movie just didn't do it for me. Others before me have already put everything into words better than I ever could, so I'll just summarize: Angelina Jolie was perhaps the most confusing character in the history of movies, Colin Farrel was bland, the acting and the dialog were planky and forgettable (not to mention the accents) and the entire plot seemed rushed and superficial. Plus Jared Leto looked like a fifteen-year-old emo girl, but that might just be me...
I enjoy historical drama (even when it's not completely accurate - if a viewer takes a movie for actual history he only has himself to blame) but I feel that the team of Alexander just tried too hard to create a larger-than-life epic, and on the quest for grandeur ended up sacrificing many qualities that would have made this movie a better one.