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Alexander - Director's Cut [2004]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

If you're determined to spend three hours with Oliver Stone's take on the personal and military struggles of ancient Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, you should know that Alexander (Colin Farrell, in blonde disarray) is not half so much fun as mom Olympias (Angelina Jolie) or his future wild bride Roxane (Rosario Dawson). Indeed, it's the women in Alex's life who provide the movie's most satisfying action: Jolie, sporting some kind of Russian accent, wraps herself in snakes while hissing promises of Farrell's destiny; Dawson disrobes and threatens to cut Farrell's throat before shtupping his brains out. The rest is leaden history, supposedly novel because it showcases epic battle sequences and addresses Alexander's great love for his buddy Hephaistion (Jared Leto). But the man-on-man romance is limited to teary hugs, and the battles are indecipherable messes-you have to wait for Anthony Hopkins' narration to tell you what happened (in fact, you have to wait for Hopkins' narration to tell you everything that happens). There's some spectacle on display but, alas, not much that is truly spectacular. --Steve Wiecking, Amazon.com

Editorial
Synopsis

Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself.

Dissapointing but still worth a watch.
Review date: 2008-01-31 Rating: 6 out of 10

The good points first: The battle scenes are fantastic and look very realistic, the acting (for the most part) is good, the production is excellent and the sound-track is atmospheric. Despite these good points the film is a dissapointment and for the following reasons: The film concentrates far too much on Alexanders sexuality, so much so that hugely more interesting chunks of Alexanders life and achievements are left out of the film. The films jumps back and forth in time and disrupts the whole story-arc of his life.

Although I enjoyed watching this film in parts, in the end I was left disapointed. Far too much time in this movie was dedicated to Alexanders sexuality and left out the more interesting points in his life.

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Reviews


not bad
Review date: 2007-12-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

This film has been much maligned but I don't quite understand why. While I wouldn't say that it's among Stone's best, it is still a pretty good movie. Colin Farrell plays a pretty low key Alexander. One might argue that his is a lackluster performance, but I think somewhat low key was Stone's intent. I must say that I didn't like Anthony Hopkins' role that much, but Val Kilmer had a memorable one. The battle scenes played out well, but may have been a bit perfunctory. Maybe the main reason the film didn't do well is timing, namely coming on the heels of other ancient battle movies such as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Oliver, what did you doooooo?
Review date: 2007-10-10 Rating: 4 out of 10

First of all when you showed yourself in the movie smiling stood there it did not add to the experience, i felt even less immersed in what should be one a great story of a great man. And didn't it occur to you that the main star taking in an Irish accent, then Angelina doing a fake accent, Hopkins in an English accent (and so on) makes the film look farcical. The battlefield scenes look quite fake with low quality CGI.

Astonishing...
Review date: 2007-09-20 Rating: 4 out of 10

...because it really is as bad as everyone says. If you're thinking of buying or renting this, don't - a three-hour scratch will be much more satisfying, and cheaper too.
I gave this a go despite all the negative reviews (a) because I was hoping for some spectacle in the battle scenes, and (b) because I know enough of Robin Lane Fox, the Oxford Fellow who acted as historical consultant, to expect at least a decent level of accuracy.

Well, it may be (reasonably) historically accurate, but it's still a truly terrible film. It doesn't work as a narrative, constantly jumping back and forth, with Hopkins's third-person narrator adding nothing helpful; the muddled battle scenes give no impression of Alexander as the innovative commander he was; the Irish accents (sorry to everyone in Ireland!) grate all the way through; and Colin Farrell's bleach-blond Alexander - accent apart - gradually morphs into Ozzy Osbourne, circa 1986. None of this is good.

I've given Alexander a second star (when one in Amazon terms is effectively zero anyway) simply because of Angelina Jolie as Olympias. Usually unwatchable, she's just mad enough to work in this - and whatever her accent is, at least it's not Irish.

MIND NUMBING NONSENSE.
Review date: 2007-09-16 Rating: 4 out of 10

I love epics, the longer the better and if it's Ancient Greece, all the better still. Try as I did (twice) I couln't get into this film at all, it left me frustrated and bored. The whole thing is disjointed and stupid, the battle scenes are pathetic, just dust and noise with everything shaky and out of focus. The character of Alexander is way to weak to be the conquering hero of such a massive empire and in this version it may well have been better to call him Queen Alexandria. It is a real pity that such a mind blowing cast could be relegated to such a mind numbing film. Go back to the drawing board Mr. Stone you have far greater talent than this.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Val Kilmer
Colin Farrell
Rosario Dawson
Angelina Jolie
Jared Leto

Creators:
Colin Farrell (Primary Contributor)
Angelina Jolie (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900699747
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Director's Cut, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-08-01
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 167 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2004
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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