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Alexander (2004)
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Reviews Counted:189
Fresh:30
Rotten:159
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Even at nearly three hours long, this ponderous, talky, and emotionally distant biopic fails to illuminate Alexander's life.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] For violence and some sexuality/nudity.
Runtime: 5 hrs 34 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Nov 24, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $34,264,081
Synopsis: Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life... Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself. [More]
Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson
Starring: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Oliver Stone
Director: Oliver Stone
Screenwriter: Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle, Laeta Kalogridis
Producer: Thomas Schuhly, Jon Kilik, Iain Smith, Moritz Borman
Composer: Vangelis
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Alexander
Stone doesn't present characters that the audience can believe in, even for one moment, as representative of their historic roles.
This oracular piece of hero-worship is perhaps the squarest film yet from this once-hip director.
Stone gives us some truly stirring visuals, music that soars and charges more often than not, and, um, performances that . . . Well, um, okay, about those performances . . .
Unwieldy and flawed, but Stone remains a tornado in an era of airless formula and -- to paraphrase our Ptolemy -- its failings are greater than most films' successes.
By summoning his inner classicist, [director] Stone has made an excruciating disaster for the ages.
'Como obra cinematográfica, no es la pésima cinta que han destrozado. Es la simple interpretación de un talentoso cineasta sobre la vida de una leyenda de la humanidad'
The picture is so thoroughly ridiculous, it's hard to know where to begin in listing its infelicities. But I'll try.
Though the battles have the blood-and-sinew bravado you expect from Oliver Stone, this three-hour buttnumbathon is hamstrung by a hectoring grandiosity, not new to Stone, and a nod toward caution, which is.
The film's sense of drama and tension makes the experience alive and palpable.
An overview of an intensely passionate life as few film-makers could bring it to the screen.
Big, grand, messy. If you enjoy a nice slice of Hollywood miscalculation every now and then--and who doesn't--you might have a good time.
A garbled, over-stuffed turkey force fed with historical events until its liver explodes in a spectacularly colourful and violent bloodbath, tempered with sinewy speeches.
Latest News for Alexander
March 08, 2007:
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For the first time in nearly a month, North America's most popular movie won't be about motorcycles. Warner Bros. goes back in time 2,500 years for the epic war saga... More...
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
July 13, 2006:
Angelina Jolie Visiting "Sin City"?
After her work in "Sin City," "The Rundown," and "Clerks 2," (and that ONE scene in "Alexander"!) there's probably not a more... More...
February 24, 2006:
Time to Vote for JoBlo's Golden Schmoes!
The SAGs, the BAFTAs, the Globes and the Oscars are all fine and good, but if there's one voting process I always look forward to, it's JoBlo's Golden Schmoes. It's time for the... More...
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