Definitely more appreciated by those who have studied the man and the culture

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2004)

When my father and I sat down to see this movie, I told him that whenever I shook my fist at the screen, that would mean they were doing something historically inaccurate. See, I was expecting this movie to make a blunder just as bad as _Troy's_ leaving Agamemnon dead in Ilion. However, I was pleasantly surprised; I didn't need to shake my fist as often as I'd anticipated. I don't claim to be an expert on classical culture or on Alexander, but I can say as one who has studied his life and times that the movie did quite a good job portraying him.
There were, of course, things I would change about the movie. The three biggest annoyances (for me) follow: 1. Olympias was not shown frolicking with a snake in bed (at least not by herself before Alexander was born). The mythology surrounding this part of Alexander's background -- which explains why the marriage between Olympias and Philip was strained -- could have led to a much more complex relationship between Olympias and Philip on screen. 2. The movie was chronologically fragmented. I'm not a student of cinema, just of the classics, so I don't know what the purpose in doing this was, but it was fairly annoying. 3. Alexander's _Braveheart_-like motivational speeches certainly didn't add as much to the movie as they probably should have. If it were me, I would focus on his military tactics -- for example, the impressive strategy in the Persian battle portrayed on screen -- instead of the "glooooooory" Farrell keeps yelling about.
I won't pick on little things forever... I'll leave that to someone else. I will tell, however, the three things I liked most about the movie: 1. The "grey area" relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion was wonderfully portrayed. If you don't understand the way two ancient Greek men were able to love one another, I suggest you go back to college and re-take the courses in classics you obviously slept through. You'll appreciate your new found outlook on western culture. 2. The Macedonian phalanx... ah, great fun to watch. 3. Alexander's many motivations -- his character was obviously complex, and Farrell seemed to do a decent job with it. From the obsession with Homer's Iliad to the alcoholism, we as the audience are given enough credit not to have to watch a one-sided Alexander on screen, and I really appreciated that.
No movie is ever perfect, and this one isn't either. Every director/producer/whatever is going to take dramatic license with a subject, and that was obviously done here with _Alexander_. The History Channel does a great 3-hour documentary on his life, so if that's what you're looking for, tune into cable. However, if you're looking for entertainment, and you're well-educated enough about ancient Greek culture and the life of Alexander to be able to appreciate what's going on instead of getting hung up on certain aspects of the story, I definitely recommend going to see this movie.