A Horrible Historical Film

Rating: 1/10 (30 November 2004)

Let me preface by saying two things: 1. I am not an Oliver Stone fan. 2. I watched the History Channel's several hour special on Alexander.
Those two things alone probably made me hate the movie much more, but I have a feeling a lot of people that see this are going to agree it's crap anyway. Thinking perhaps he is unique in doing so, Stone decides early in the movie to focus on Alexander's sexuality. Okay, yes, he was bisexual. Many Greeks at the time were. NO BIG DEAL. But apparently this is a big deal for Stone, and he emphasizes Alexander in the bedroom more than on the battlefield, cheapening the man that conquered a huge area in such a short span of time. If that weren't enough, Farrell plays Alexander like he is an emotional fool - crying for more scenes in the movie than most men have cried in probably a lifetime. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I doubt Alexander was forever whining and crying as much as he is in this film.
Since I knew the real history, I was shocked that the story had been changed so much to reflect weakness instead of power. At over a three hour running time, this movie is a real waste to see, and is even slower considering Stone uses slow motion in many of his scenes. No part of it is worth watching, and the performances are sub-par to the point everyone employs there own little foreign accents to seem like they are part of the time. It's distracting and made me want to leave the theater.
Want some real entertainment and education? Watch the History Channel Mini-series. Then you'll realize this film is historically inaccurate.