Reviews

I went into the theatre expecting to be disappointed-everyone I know said that 'Alexander' had absolutely sucked. However, when the movie ended, I was just simply amazed! With immense respect of ancient history, I found 'Alexander' to be mesmerizing. The movie struck me as more of a documentary (narrated by Anthony Hopkin's Old Ptolemy) and I found it refreshing to finally see a movie that was different from all the regular, fast-pace, typical action-packed movies (such as Lord Of The Rings, Troy, etc.). The average human walking into the theater expecting to see a typical action-packed movie will be disappointed. This movie is not for the weak-minded! It had more dialogue than action-parts, which many people would not approve. I also thought it was more realistic, since real life DOES have more talking than action. To fully appreciate this movie to the maximum extent possible, you must walk into the theater with an open mind, an adequate size of patience, and an ability to listen and understand.

The movie brilliantly delves deep into Alexander (played by Colin Farrell)'s mind, figuring out just why Alexander was so driven to rule the world. Some suggest he did it because he felt he needed to run as far away as possible from his believed-to-be-evil 'sorceress' mother Olympias (played by a very beautiful Angelina Jolie). Others say that Alexander really wanted to unify all of the people on the earth. Either way, this movie explores almost every option of 'why he did it' which made it a very emotionally deep film.

One part of this movie which many Americans find to be offensive is the bisexuality. I, for one, found it refreshing to see something DIFFERENT for a change. Bisexuality DID exist in ancient history-yet most historical movies leave it out, which made 'Alexander' much more realistic to me. Alexander's relationship with Hephaistion was also very sweet and good-willed. After watching this movie, many people got the bisexuality confused with the real fact- that Alexander and Hephaistion's relationship was not about sex, but about the deep true love and respect men can have for each other. And for Pete's sake... it was nice to see a male dancer for once, jeez!

On a final note, the acting, set-design, scenery, special effects, and pretty much everything else was top-notch. The battle scenes were so realistic it was if you were actually there! I thought Colin Farrell's portrayal of Alexander far surpassed that of Brad Pitt's Achilles in Troy. Farrell was able to act out Alexander's emotions beautifully! Val Kilmer (Philip, Alexander's father), Angelina Jolie (Olympias), Jared Leto (Hephaistion), Rosario Dawson (Roxane) and Anthony Hopkins (Ptolemy) really made 'Alexander' unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking along with the set-design and costumes. Also, the dialogue was well crafted and not rushed. This is a movie I will remember forever!