Alexander has been roundly criticised by many as being almost laughable. In particular, in America, it has performed poorly at the box office, taking something like $35m dollars when it cost something nearer $150m.
It’s certainly not a great film, but it’s not nearly as bad as some would have you think. I think the greatest lacking it has is its pace. There are some scenes that while worthily trying to get under the skin of what made Alexander tick, they don’t drive the film forward. Occassionally the exposition is a little crass, and the structure of the film is strange being told in flashback, by an elderly Anthony Hopkins, with one strange episode being told completely out of sequence.
But I’ve got to say that some of the things it does are done well. The big battle sequences are tremendous, employing special effects well. The battle in India against an elephant driving enemy is exceptional, and although gory, the cutting is fast enough that we get the gist of what’s going on without lingering on it unnecessarily. Similarly, the realisation of places like Babylon is stunning.
Unlike some, I didn’t find Colin Farrell speaking with an Irish accent jarring. The alternatives are surely English accents (which are as good), American accents (always feel wrong), or simply speaking English with Greek or Arabic accents dependent on where you are. And Farrell isn’t bad, while Angelina Jolie comes across as manipulative as Sian Philips Livia from I, Claudius. I’m not saying that she’s as good, but she’s still not bad.
So put this in context, it’s a little slow, but Troy was far worse.