DVD Alexander, Revisited - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Digital Life Average Rating:

Rating: - Wrong Leads
Oliver Stone's "Alexander Revisited" has quite a lot going for it, sweeping shots of gorgeous mountaintops, epic battles, stunning and shockingly realistic in nature and a story of a legend named Alexander. What it doesn't have is an actor worthy of portraying this tormented dreamer, bent on conquering all of Asia. Stone has Colin Farrell, with bleached blonde hair and some of the worst line reading in history.
Although Farrell isn't alone in his campy and over reaching acting skills, we have Angelina Jolie doing the best 'Natasha' voice since Rene Russo in the "Rocky and Bullwinkle", and the poorest acting by pretty-boy Jared Leto, in quite some time.
I never did view the chopped up mess that hit the theatres, this version is a little long and heavy on dialogue and light on action. but if they only chose different actors, this one would have been a masterpiece in waiting.

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Rating: - Alexander Revisited
I liked Alexander Revisited so much that I have watched it at least a dozen times. It has plenty of "realistic" action but also gets into the psychology of its characters. I have much respect for the director Oliver Stone for having the courage to portray the "real" Alexander, unlike Wolfgang Petersen, the director of Troy who tried to pawn Achelles' lover Petrocolus off as his "cousin." That was contemptable. The truth was that Alexander showed little personal interest in women. The fact that he was bi-sexual (at most) did not detract from his being a colossus.
Jared Leto was very convincing as Alexander's general and lover Hephaestian, not to mention that he was gorgeous. I am sorry Francisco Bosch who played the eunuch Bagoas didn't get a higher billing as his character was important and he did a great job. I think they could have found someone more suited than Colin Farrell to play Alexander. For one thing, he looked nothing like him. Alexander was "more beautiful" than that. The horse that played Alexander's horse Bucephalus was an incredibly majestic animal! What a warrier!
I read in one review that Stone didn't stick to the facts. I disagree. It isn't easy to cram a life like that in three and a half hours, but the few things he altered were either to adher to the time limit or possibly for effect. The way Alexander found Bagoas was "simplified," and Bucephalus did not die in battle, but of old age at thirty. The general Cassander was one of the few of Alexander's boyhood companions not in his army because they hated each other. But I'm glad Stone included him because Jonathan Rhys Myers who played that role is one of my favorites. I'm sorry they didn't make more of the death of Hephaestian as in truth Alexander went into what some called a psychotic rage that lasted for sometime and had far-reaching consequences. Angelina Jolie as Alexander's mother Olympius was magnificant, and again, authentic, even down to the snakes.

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Rating: - Third time the charm?
I quite liked the director's cut version of Alexander, while not being a great film it was something about it that I found fascinating so when I heard about this Final Cut I knew I had to see it. I think the movie is better this way, a lot better infact, but it will never be a great movie. There's something lacking and I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

I was hoping for a director's commentary (I think Oliver Stone's commentary track for the Platoon was superb) but I had to settle for an introduction. No other extras, this is just the movie.

I would recommend this to those who liked the previous incarnations of this movie, but I don't really think this cut will change anyone's view of the movie. Either you liked it to begin with (if so I recommend this cut), or you didn't (then I recommend you see the 4-hour cut of Kingdom of Heaven instead).

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Rating: - Wonderful Movie
This movie is simply amazing. If all you want is blood and gore this probably isn't the movie for you, it goes much deeper into the inner character of Alexander.