Review of Alexander (2004) by Justice M — 07 Dec 2010

This movie is proof that even with an Academy-Award winning director, the historical epic that everyone was waiting for can still take a quite historically epic nosedive. From the beginning, the miscast Colin Farrel plays the title character, carrying out his conquests with all the trappings that Alexander the Great would possess.

But it's not these epic battles we learn so much about, it's mostly the interpersonal relationships between him and his lovers, both men and women. I would also like to mention that his on-screen chemistry seemed much better with Jared Leto than with Rosario Dawson, which I'm sure is a crime in some countries.

In the end, this over-drawn epic came off as cheap, with a good deal of unimpressive set pieces and wardrobe, which tends to be an epic's strong points. Not even decent supporting acts from Val Kilmer and Angelina Jolie could save this film from fading into the anonymity of the rest of the bad movies in my mind.

A colossal waste of time, with very little to show for. If you want to see some high-quality showmanship by Stone, watch Platoon or Born on the Fourth of July. 'Nuff said.