Upon watching Alexander, I found myself with a lot of questions, and very few answers. In fact, it has been almost four years since I saw this film, and yet I remain haunted by the many inconsistincies and poor choices which were displayed in the film.
I had the unfortunate privelage of seeing this movie in a sold out theatre where I was forced to take in the action from the front row. From that vantage point I watched one of the most uninspired, miserable films I have ever seen. If the constant comments by the audience throughout the length of the film were any indication--I was not alone in my feelings toward this movie.
Alexander, as you may recall, was a heavily anticipated movie and rightfully so with its ridiculously large budget and star studded cast. As the film opened, I have to admit, I was hoping for an epic of Gladiator like proportions. Unfortunately, Collin Farrell is no Russel Crowe, and the film did not take very long to unravel.
Rather than discuss the plot, which apparently Director Oliver Stone felt was an optional part of making a movie, lets discuss where this film went so horribly wrong:
- Collin Farrell is not convincing as a conquering hero.
- Angelina Jolie is not convincing as his mother, and she makes the choice to talk with an accent that can only be described as "bad."
- The bi-sexual subplot revolving around Alexander and his right hand man was never developed and therefore came off as forced and awkward in every scene.
- The shots during the battle scenes looked as though a camera man was told to run around in circles with his camera on his shoulders and occassionally shake the device wildly for added effect.
- Actors were apparently told that "intense" dialouge meant you were supposed to "scream or "bellow."
Thus, it was no surprise that, when Alexander died in the film, uproarious applause echoed through the theatre.
The greatest failure of Alexander was squandering a $155,000,000 budget on a film that never came close to living up to the epic nature of its content. Once again, it is proven that money does not necessarily make great art.
Alexander, as it turns out, was not so great...