Unusual, but great

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2005)

I must say that I went to watch this movie with a very negative bias... all the comments I had heard about it could be summarized in two words "It's crappy!" However when I finally I did get myself to sit through it, the end result was a very pleasant evening. It is true that the film is a bit weird... like when you get important bits (like Philip's murder, Alexander's ascension to the Macedonian throne and his victory over the Persian king) being left out and then maybe explained later on... it is confusing. And then it was quite long I must say... one does tend to get the attitude "Come on Alex, hurry up and die so we can go and have a beer"... The ending was a bit confusing... it is not clear whether Alexander was poisoned or whether he died of some disease... BUT considering the sheer grandeur that is found everywhere in this movie, I must admit that it is great.
The character I liked most was Olympias'.. and Angelina does a fine job at it. She is like some kind of sorceress always looming in the shadows... it's true that she doesn't get to do much in the whole movie, but the little bits she has here and there are acted out perfectly. She truly has the shape and looks of a Macedonian dowager queen.
A friend of mine had told me that Colin Farell had no stamina to be the lead of such an epic movie... well I have my reservations on that comment. Truly he was no Charlton Heston in "Ben Hur", but still he fit the part of a conquering-obsessed leader very well.
Even the others who were his companions all throughout his journeys from Macedonia all the way to India and back to Babylon were great, creating a balance between the friends who want to support their king and husbands who want to go back to their families and their fatherland. Dawson attracted a lot of sympathy as the ignored wife of the great leader and who only manages to give him what he wanted when it was too late...
All in all a great movie in more ways than one.