Alexander reached Kuching this week and I went to watch it last night with my boyfriend and some other friends. It was a rather good movie. Anyone who enjoys a lot of drama and blood and gore and scandal would enjoy the movie a lot. It showed Alexander as a rather lost boy who grew into a man who needed to live up to his father's image, while being constantly torn apart by his mother.

However, the one issue that kept popping up throughout the movie (no pun intended!) was Alexander's sexual preferences. I suppose, by modern standards, he would be considered a homosexual. By historical standards, he was very much following the norm. It was very much a usual thing for men in ancient times to 'prefer' male companionship. However, this discussion evaluates the issue far better than I ever could. It's a very interesting read. It also shows how worked up some people can get about the whole thing!

The movie itself, overall, was fairly accurate. I learnt how the names were pronounced and I know it would help a lot when I need to explain it to my students next year. The timeline of the movie was a little erratic since it kept jumping from one time to another. With this in mind, try not to watch it with someone who likes to make running commentaries throughout movies.

Personally, the movie felt long. It's actually almost 3 hours long. 173 minutes, to be exact. However, with censorship at work, it was probably shorter than that. The point is, the movie was a little tedious to watch. A friend mentioned that he felt like he was watching a documentary-drama rather than a movie. History buffs, drama buffs, Collin Farrel fans and people who like to see many beautiful people in one movie will enjoy this movie a lot.

However, the only things that kept me in my seat were the mere facts that I enjoy History and I have to teach teenagers about Alexander the Great next year. If they had watched this movie, I'd have a lot of explanations to do so I might as well be prepared!As far as epic movies go, I'd rather sit through Troy (inaccurate though it got in some areas) again or Gladiator (for the sheer joy of watching Russell Crowe and the soundtrack!) again. On a scale of 1-10, I'd personally give Alexander a 5.