Alexander (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Alexander' (directed by Oliver Stone, Platoon, JFK) is a big, gorgeous, intermittently interesting, mostly-messy epic based on the life of Alexander the Great (and King of Macedonia) who conquered Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, & part of India. Shown are some of his key moments: i.e., his invasion of the Persian Empire, & his untimely death. It also outlines his early life, including a volatile relationship with his father Philip II of Macedonia (Val Kilmer), the stormy relationship with his eclectic, snake-wearing mother Olympias (Angelina Jolie), the unification of the Greek kingdoms, & the conquest of the Persian Empire in 331 BC.
We see Alexander's daily life & the iffy relationship btwn. his parents. Alexander grows up aside his mother & his tutor Aristotle (Christopher Plummer), where he finds interest in love, honor, exploration, & military combat. His relationship with his father is completely destroyed when Philip marries Eurydice; theoretically casting out his own mother, Olympias. After Philip is assassinated, Alexander becomes King of Macedonia & Greece. Acting as our narrator/guide, Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) gives an overview of Alexander's Persian campaign, including his being declared the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun, his battle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamela, & ending with his 8-year campaign across Asia.
Also shown are Alexander's relationships with his childhood friend Hephaestion (Jared Leto) & his Eastern wife Roxane (Rosario Dawson). Alexander pledges that, if Hephaestion (the true love of his life) should die first, he will follow him into the afterlife. Hephaestion shows jealousy when he sees Alexander with Roxane & sadness when he marries her. After Hephaestion succumbs to an illness either by chance or perhaps poison, speculated in the movie to be Typhus carried with him from India ... Alexander distances himself from his wife - despite her pregnancy - believing that she has killed Hephaestion. The film ends with Alexander dying less than 3 months after Hephaestion, keeping his promise that he would follow him soon thereafter.
'Alexander' is too long, too choppy (editing issues), & too confused (with its narrative). But let me be nice & talk about what I liked in the film. It's huge in scope - and I love me an epic. It's audacious. It's controversial - depicting a clear homosexual relationship; sans any sex, or lip kissing for that matter. I felt like I was learning a history lesson. There are 2 extravagantly rendered battle sequences that are wow-worthy (one filmed with unique rose-tinted cinematography). The pomp & pageantry of this film is OFF THE CHARTS. While I agree with my fellow reviewer (Kevin) that plenty of the indoor production designs come across as fake, there are many set pieces & outdoor designs that had me in awe. The locales are wondrous. The costumes are brilliant. And though Vangelis' musical score isn't as memorable as his from Blade Runner & 1492, it still pops. So yeah, major narrative & editing issues aside, the lushness of the film made up for a lot.
'Alexander' is boldly acted. Though, that proves to be problematic, in spots. Colin Farrell gives it his all. Some scenes he goes a little crazy, and it's fantastic. But he maintains that crazed emotion in too many scenes where it wasn't required. Angelina Jolie plays Olympias a la Hamlet's Gertrude. She gives a weird, enjoyably over-the-top performance. She should win an Oscar, simply for her stares & glares. Rosario Dawson is underused & ineffective as Roxane. We get a full frontal of her, but you can't make anything of her acting skills, here. Val Kilmer is fun as Philip the one-eyed king. The man has presence. Jared Leto is too subdued as Alexander's male lover. And Anthony Hopkins (as Ptolemy) pleases as our old sage narrator.
There's too much wrong with 'Alexander' it to call it a success. As a historical portrait, you really don't learn anything new that you wouldn't have otherwise. In fact, you kind of get the impression that Alexander the Great wasn't really that 'great' after all. He seemed wimpy & indecisive. But then, since these events happened 2,300 yrs. ago, any kind of thorough character portrait would be conjecture, anyway, right? Flawed, yet stunning. Exciting, then boring; repeat. 'Alexander' shows a hell of a lot. Characters talk a hell of a lot. And yet, unbelievably, so much about Alexander (as a man & a figure in history) is left vague. At nearly 3 hours in length, you just kind of want it to be over with at some point. But it's not a complete loss.
We see Alexander's daily life & the iffy relationship btwn. his parents. Alexander grows up aside his mother & his tutor Aristotle (Christopher Plummer), where he finds interest in love, honor, exploration, & military combat. His relationship with his father is completely destroyed when Philip marries Eurydice; theoretically casting out his own mother, Olympias. After Philip is assassinated, Alexander becomes King of Macedonia & Greece. Acting as our narrator/guide, Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) gives an overview of Alexander's Persian campaign, including his being declared the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun, his battle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamela, & ending with his 8-year campaign across Asia.
Also shown are Alexander's relationships with his childhood friend Hephaestion (Jared Leto) & his Eastern wife Roxane (Rosario Dawson). Alexander pledges that, if Hephaestion (the true love of his life) should die first, he will follow him into the afterlife. Hephaestion shows jealousy when he sees Alexander with Roxane & sadness when he marries her. After Hephaestion succumbs to an illness either by chance or perhaps poison, speculated in the movie to be Typhus carried with him from India ... Alexander distances himself from his wife - despite her pregnancy - believing that she has killed Hephaestion. The film ends with Alexander dying less than 3 months after Hephaestion, keeping his promise that he would follow him soon thereafter.
'Alexander' is too long, too choppy (editing issues), & too confused (with its narrative). But let me be nice & talk about what I liked in the film. It's huge in scope - and I love me an epic. It's audacious. It's controversial - depicting a clear homosexual relationship; sans any sex, or lip kissing for that matter. I felt like I was learning a history lesson. There are 2 extravagantly rendered battle sequences that are wow-worthy (one filmed with unique rose-tinted cinematography). The pomp & pageantry of this film is OFF THE CHARTS. While I agree with my fellow reviewer (Kevin) that plenty of the indoor production designs come across as fake, there are many set pieces & outdoor designs that had me in awe. The locales are wondrous. The costumes are brilliant. And though Vangelis' musical score isn't as memorable as his from Blade Runner & 1492, it still pops. So yeah, major narrative & editing issues aside, the lushness of the film made up for a lot.
'Alexander' is boldly acted. Though, that proves to be problematic, in spots. Colin Farrell gives it his all. Some scenes he goes a little crazy, and it's fantastic. But he maintains that crazed emotion in too many scenes where it wasn't required. Angelina Jolie plays Olympias a la Hamlet's Gertrude. She gives a weird, enjoyably over-the-top performance. She should win an Oscar, simply for her stares & glares. Rosario Dawson is underused & ineffective as Roxane. We get a full frontal of her, but you can't make anything of her acting skills, here. Val Kilmer is fun as Philip the one-eyed king. The man has presence. Jared Leto is too subdued as Alexander's male lover. And Anthony Hopkins (as Ptolemy) pleases as our old sage narrator.
There's too much wrong with 'Alexander' it to call it a success. As a historical portrait, you really don't learn anything new that you wouldn't have otherwise. In fact, you kind of get the impression that Alexander the Great wasn't really that 'great' after all. He seemed wimpy & indecisive. But then, since these events happened 2,300 yrs. ago, any kind of thorough character portrait would be conjecture, anyway, right? Flawed, yet stunning. Exciting, then boring; repeat. 'Alexander' shows a hell of a lot. Characters talk a hell of a lot. And yet, unbelievably, so much about Alexander (as a man & a figure in history) is left vague. At nearly 3 hours in length, you just kind of want it to be over with at some point. But it's not a complete loss.