A King Isn't Born, Alexander; He's Made (Alexander (DVD))

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Alexander (DVD)
Date:	28/10/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some nice locations and looks quite spectacular

Disadvantages: The Script, The performances, the direction, the length, pretty much everything

There was something about Alexander that cried out to me to avoid it. When it arrived in the cinema I thought I don't really want to see it but it might be quite good. Then I started thinking that maybe after Phone Booth Colin Farrell would be picking better roles for himself. I suppose by now I should realise when to listen to that initial voice that tells me it'll be terrible. Time and time again though I ignore it and end up sitting through some pretty terrible films and this certainly ranks up there amongst them.

In Oliver Stone's biopic of the great Macedonian king Alexander (Colin Farrell), he attempts to educate the audience of a great ruler. During his rule he conquered 90% of the known world from his Macedonian base. He achieved the majority of this by the age of 25 and this film concentrates mainly on his campaigns in Persia and India and also his quest to have a successor to his thrown. For me the majority of this screams out as a video made as a teaching aid but Oliver Stone decided it warranted being turned into a movie.

I'm still undecided as to whether subjects like this can actually make a good film. It is educational for the most part but the way the film is put together makes it incredibly confusing and takes away any hope of a coherent film. The script and general interaction between the actors seems far too forced and again this makes it even harder to follow. The general direction of the film is almost as weak as the script and all in all it simply didn't work.

The film visually looks quite stunning and the battle scene's work very well. They looked well put together and had a sense of realism about them that could have sparked a decent film. Instead it's a film cluttered with problems. The flash back scenes tend to confuse things and take away any continuity that it might have achieved with clearer distinction. Certain flash backs tell you the dates, where as others just change without as much as a word that it's happened.

If the film was going to make up for its failings then my hope would have been with the actors. Colin Farrell has been steadily making a name for himself as a big name in Hollywood but like Phone Booth his performance in this was lacking. There were glimpses that he would be perfect for the role but the majority of the time it just seemed he was well out of his depth. He started encouragingly but the longer the film went on the less convincing he seemed. He wasn't the only one though; I didn't really feel that anyone stood out in this film.

The rest of the cast seemed to be merely there to make up the numbers. Angelina Jolie was particularly disappointing with her rather odd accent playing Alexander's mother. She didn't really command the character and that lead to a rather weak performance. Similar criticism can be levelled at the likes of Val Kilmer and Jared Leto. The only person I felt that came out of it with real dignity was Anthony Hopkins and that's simply because he had taken on the role of our Story teller and Narrator and his scenes were totally separate to those of Farrell and the rest of the cast.

Upon reflection I feel that the characterisation was rather poor. The film was a biographical look at the life of Alexander but they could have characterised the others a little more. He has a few select generals around him and at times it's hard to tell which is which. This for me adds to the confusion already created within the script and means there is no way back for a film that promised a little to start with but never delivers. The length of the film doesn't do it any favours either. At almost three hours long it rarely holds the interest and seems to drift along for large periods of time.

Overall it's a film that should remain firmly fixed to the Video shops shelf. If there was one saving grace of my viewing experience of this film it would be that I hadn't actually bought it. I do still grudge Blockbusters the £3.50 I paid them to watch the film but at least that's better than the £14.99 that amazon want for it. If you are looking for a film that will bore you to tears and provide about as much entertainment as E4's live Big Brother feeds at half 4 in the morning then this is certainly the film you want to watch. If however you want a film that will keep you interested and entertained leave it where it is and seek out something else.

Summary: A dire movie of a historical figure