Why Oliver Stone’s "Alexander" Is so Bad

A rather bloated biopic of the “great man” Alexander from ancient Greece that gives a bad name to biopics in the wake of ones about medical cures and significant statesmen from other years. The film shows a man with a grand sense of entitlement. Perhaps we need to see the epic from classic era: the reportedly better Alexander the Great.

Historical films are a speciality category and I for one am not the usual audience for it. But if history is to be worth something in cinema, we need interesting characters who have had something important and interesting to say and do. The conquests and life of Alexander, the ruler of the ancient Greek empire, as sketched here may be such a character who will not move audiences, his bloodthirsty adventures don’t do much for identifying or relating to a tangible human side. Yet the life of Alexander is mildly interesting and if they made the man into a striking characterisation then a film about him may be all worthwhile.

Shallow “Recreation” of the Life of Historical Figure

It came to me as no surprise when the director Oliver Stone took on Alexander the Great the way he has done here, in Alexander’s exploits against Persia and surrounding territories circa 300 BC. The director is seamless in creating some kind of myth out of history, whether true or false, and unrelenting in portraying that here on a massive palette, with a sweep of violence and spectacular imagery. Alexander the Great is grandiose, yet it is all illusionary, and self-important rather than interesting and no one enjoys watching someone self-importantly puffed up.

One of the golden rules of historical films is to not make your key character so important that you fail to create depth of character and a relatable humanity. Nothing is so irritating as an apparently superior key character. Stone pays homage and says nothing interesting about the Greek warrior, depicting the fellow as a masterpiece of mortality. Humanistic glory, as manifested in the title character, in easy Greek-speak for beginners, a kind of self-absorbed indulgence with grandiose spectacle.

Story

Alexander’s story is told by Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) to a scribe and chronicles King Alexander’s early life and relationships with father King Philip (a solid Val Kilmer) and his mother Olympias (a fiery Angelina Jolie), which involves a sickly family feud.

Then later into his adult life of war with Persia, against the Barbarians, and India, and taking concubine Roxane (Rosario Dawson) from a foreign race and not from his own Macedonian lineage; he dispenses with conspirators in their debate over his choice of partner.

When in India a mutiny is successful against Alexander (Colin Farrell). That is the broad outline, but most in-between is boring.

If one were to find something of worth in the madness, it may be that Alexander reflects the insanity of walking the 'wide road' that leads to destruction—and many find it but enter through the narrow gate to the road that leads to life.

Qualities and Lack Thereof

The film though is an overlong melodramatic dull fest.

The more convincing portrayal of Alexander here is viewed as a tortured man rather than a warrior, hero, or a god, but that is all to brief, and it does get the sense of grandeur of the ancients more so than Troy, which was smaller on scale.

As it is, Alexander overstates its material, is banal and stilted. Mysterious is the esoteric spirituality of the New Age sounding soundtrack like you have walked into a relaxation exercise but is merely decorative adding little to the movie.

Alexander’s infatuation for his homosexual lover, Hepaiston (Jared Leto), is trite and overdone as to be superficially dramatic.

The film is monotonous, it is a relief when the unlikeable Great dies of poisoning (and which is unintentionally amusing) in this long three-hour movie (dare I say that; I should have been kinder).

There are scenes which are so frustrating that would make Monty Python salivate at the possibilities, aka Life of Brian/Life of Alexander. His apparent importance is lost on the audience; Alexander is a misfire.