Overall, Great

Rating: Null/10 (25 November 2004)

Well, the movie was called simply, Alexander. I think Stone did a good and interesting representation of a brilliant but damaged man...torn by and between two warring parents.
The Persian war was well done, if a tad long. The aerial shots and tight phalanxes were great; the visuals of Babylon and the plains in general were wonderful. I didn't like the battle scene in India for a whole variety of reasons; and historically that open field wasn't where our hero took the arrow and was carried off on his shield. I'd have liked to see his first battle which is where the army really took to him as a general and leader, leading into an explanation of why they continued to follow him
Some of the dialog which bothered some folks, e.g., "Hephaistion's Thighs," is part of the historical record, not invented by the scriptwriters, and doesn't have anything to do with wrestling.
There was allot of detail that was quite subtle and I think would be missed by those who haven't made a study of Alexander...at Phillips wedding party when the king has one for the road with his boy toy and then tosses him to the grooms who then later kills him; the scene where the army tells Alexander to kiss Bagoas, having finally gotten used to his being around. The triangle of Alexander, Hephastion, & Bagoas. Roxanna is inexplicable, both historically and in the movie; and I'd have liked to see the scene where Alexander married 80 of his officers to Persian women. Also, Hephaistion's death scene and its aftermath was truly shortchanged; but at least Stone didn't avoid it all!
I do agree that the editing was choppy and I think a couple of the flashbacks should have just been in the normal progression of the storyline. I thought the falcon was irritating.
Wow, it was three hours--I wonder how much was cut that might make a second movie and add the missing parts!! Re-edit, re-release, and maybe recast one or two parts.
Still overall a definite thumbs up for me.