Rating of
2/4
"Alexander" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 07/02/12
We always expect an odd hotch-potch of accents in a Hollywood epic, but witnessing ancient greeks ALL (with the notable exception of Angelina Jolie, who seems to be impersonating Ivana Humpalot from Austin Powers) sporting a broad Irish drawl is just SURREAL. Anyway...Oliver Stone's historical epic is pretty much what you would expect; sumptuous costume design and photography, impressive battle scenes on a massive scale, the fact that it takes itself a little too seriously and it's too long. But the main drawback lies in the pitch of the film;many pivotal historical events are not only skimmed over, but often even happen off-screen. I didn't feel that I knew Alexander the man any better than I did at the start, Stone being far more interested in who he was shagging than his psychology or motives. The way the chronology of events keeps skipping back and forth only served to confuse, and the score is intrusively pompous. But having said all that it's worth a watch for the sheer spectacle. And the accents. "Top o' the mornin' to yer Mr. Plato" "Begorrah to be sure Mr. Aristotle..."
