Watch Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut - Unrated

In 2004, Oliver Stone's epic historical drama "Alexander" was released in theaters, chronicling the life and conquests of the famed Macedonian king Alexander the Great. Despite boasting a star-studded cast led by Colin Farrell as the titular character, the film was met with mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. However, in 2007, Stone released a new version of the film titled "Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut," which aimed to address some of the criticisms leveled against the original release. This version of the film runs approximately three-and-a-half hours and includes previously unseen footage, as well as a new score and sound mix.

At its core, "Alexander Revisited" tells the story of a young prince named Alexander who inherits the kingdom of Macedon from his father and sets out to conquer the world. The film begins with an introduction that lays out some of the key themes and ideas that will drive the narrative: the idea of destiny and the role played by the gods in shaping human affairs, the tension between different cultures and civilizations, and the notion that Alexander's ultimate goal is to forge a new world order based on a synthesis of all the peoples he encounters on his journey.

From there, the film jumps back in time to Alexander's childhood, showing us how he was raised by his mother Olympias (played by Angelina Jolie) and how he learned from his tutor Aristotle (Christopher Plummer) about the world and its various cultures. We then follow Alexander as he takes the throne of Macedon and begins his campaign of conquest, leading his army across the known world and encountering various challenges and setbacks along the way.

One of the key criticisms leveled against the original version of "Alexander" was that it was too sprawling and unfocused, with too much emphasis placed on spectacle and not enough on character development. "Alexander Revisited" attempts to address this by adding more depth to some of the key relationships in the film. For example, we get more scenes showing us the complex dynamic between Alexander and his mother, as well as his relationships with his father Philip (Val Kilmer) and his best friend Hephaistion (Jared Leto). We also get more insight into the political and social climate of the various countries that Alexander conquers, including Egypt and India.

Another common criticism of the original film was that it was overly ambitious in its attempt to cover such a vast span of history, resulting in a choppy and disjointed narrative. "Alexander Revisited" attempts to smooth out some of these rough edges by rearranging the order of some of the scenes and placing more emphasis on certain events over others. For example, the battle scenes have been re-edited to be more coherent and dramatic, and the film places more emphasis on the tensions between Alexander and his generals as they travel further and further from home.

Despite these changes, it's fair to say that "Alexander Revisited" is still a sprawling and ambitious film that will not appeal to everyone. At over three hours in length, it requires a significant investment of time and attention from the viewer, and it can be overwhelming at times in its attempt to grapple with such weighty themes. However, for those who are willing to give it a chance, "Alexander Revisited" is a powerful and thought-provoking meditation on the nature of power, ambition, and destiny. With stunning visuals, a sweeping score, and a committed cast, it remains a testament to the epic grandeur that Oliver Stone is capable of achieving on the big screen.

Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut - Unrated is a 2004 action movie with a runtime of 3 hours and 32 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.6 and a MetaScore of 40.