Alexander

xl70e3

xl70e3

Skywalker
I know, I'm like half an year late, but I somehow didn't get a chance to see it in theaters and now caught it on satellite. Besides, there is just one thread about it here and even that is about the trailer, dated May 2004.
I don't know what to say, actually :huh: It was weird, it was different... yeah, it was Stone...
 
Hmmm ok, let's try...

What I liked:

- Cinematography. B E A U T I F U L. Absolutely gorgeous, it alone is enough a reason to see the movie.

- Acting. Just about everyone was great. Although expected from Kilmer and Hopkins, Farrel was a surprise for many (not for me, after seeing Tigerland, Intermission and Phone Booth) and even Jolie was good despite being one year older than him (takes a bit to get used to, though). The rest of the cast was strong and played out well.
Since I saw dubbed version I can't judge Farrel's or Dawson's accents.

- Gritty realism. None of your shiny, glamour Hollywood. From natural (or at least with a natural look to it), very real and authentic lighting to ass rapes, to bloody chaotic mess of the battles, depicting real tactics and filled with tons of blood, guts and severed limbs. Something I haven't seen for quite a while, probably since Amistad or Braveheart.

- The fact that it was not a historical epic/action. It's a Drama. Yes, a character drama, mainly focused on the person of Alexander, his dreams, his fears, his demons.


What I didn't like:

- Story, narration, cut, whatever you wanna call it. While I do understand the need for narrator, as it's simply not possible to fit such a rich history into 3 hour film, it'd at times skip over the parts I wanted to see, without much explanation and sometimes just drag really sloooow. Also, being, after all, a movie about Alexender the Great, it'd often praise the hero as "The Greatest man", but not get into details as to why he was such a great person. Instead we get to see a boy, a man trying to overcome his fears or learn to live with them, conquering half of the world along the way to please his ego and to prove something for someone.

- Editing. Quite Stone'ish hehe but really bothered me during the first battle. While it (aswell as the second one) was really good... heck, it was amazing!.. the first few minutes seemed sooo randomly cut, that the fight lost all the effect, it should have carried, for me. But then it quickly picked up and the rest of the scene is unlike any other "epic" I seen recently. Like I said before, bloody, chaotic mess. Pure hell.

- Music. Can I say it, please? I hate Vangelis. After making Blade Runner he should have retired. Well, maybe after Chariots of Fire...

- Cheesy moments. These have to do with the whole "gayness" thing. No, no, wait! I didn't mind it at all. It wasn't really necessary, but it also didn't stick out too much. What I didn't like was the dialogue - Hephaistion and Alexander had some very cheesy lines, on par with Paris - Helen in Troy. Yeah, that bad...

I don't know, that seems to be it, for now. One thing is for sure - I won't forget Alexander and, for good or bad, it will most likely be remembered as classic, if it's not one by now. Something very different from modern day hollywood cinema, very innovative and, on the other hand, what appears to be a movie that lacks any real purpose. It does not tell you the history of Alexander, a phenomen of a man who had conquered known world by the age of 25, nor it does take you through the life of Alexander, a general, a warrior, greatest military leader in history of warfare, which mostly consisted of battles, battles that he has never lost. It does show you what was going on inside the head of a traumatised boy, a sick man, who was trying so hard to live up to his out-of-this-world dreams, that he failed to see reality surrounding him... Very similar to Stone's Doors in it's "bunch of random episodes put together" way and, if you like that and Platoon, you will love this one.
...still can't get the slow-mo shot of Alexander falling off his horse out of my head... man was that beautiful!
 
Xl70e3... I love vangelis, but about the rest i think more or less the same.

What i didn´t like at all was the lenght! 3h. like you said. But my point is different; i think it would be possible to tell Alexander´s story in this time. But not with so may unuseful battles that last for so long that i got bored!The first ones where fun! But the way to India was tedious!

I want to recall Any given Sunday as a nice edditing. The matchs where short to go back for story and only the important ones last for longer time. It should had to be like this!

The end of script... Just one discussion secuence between "enemies within" and ten minutes of cheesy dialogs.

I think it had a wrong look at the Alexander. But, OMG, Rosario Dawson was awesome!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top