Alexandre le Grand: Au rang des dieux

I'll keep this short. Hollywood still can't make anything remotely accurate about Alexander the Great. It makes me sick. When I was a kid we had that Oliver Stone mess with Colin Farrell and honestly I didn't think it could get worse. I was wrong.

This Netflix garbage is intentionally inaccurate. I don't understand it. I've studied Alexander and ancient Macedon for years and when I tell you they are intentionally changing or misleading very well known historical details, please know I'm not kidding. All for entertainment purposes I guess but here's the problem - the truth is so much more interesting!

Just skip it. There are YouTube documentaries that are far far far better than whatever this garbage is.

I suppose it's better than that Jada Pinkett Smith "Cleopatra was Black" nonsense.

Alexander: The Making of A God" arrived on Netflix, and as someone perpetually on the lookout for hidden gems in historical dramas, I stumbled upon this series with a mix of curiosity and hopeful anticipation. The prospect of uncovering a captivating portrayal of Alexander the Great, one of my top historical figures, was a promising prospect. However, what I discovered within the first few minutes of the series left me with a sense of disillusionment, prompting an abrupt halt to my viewing experience.

Unlike the eager anticipation often associated with highly anticipated releases, my eagerness was more akin to a quest for a hidden treasure. Unfortunately, the treasure proved elusive, as the series failed to meet even the modest expectations I had set for an engaging historical drama.

The initial disappointment stemmed from the lackluster acting that permeated the series. The characters, including the pivotal role of Alexander himself, felt like mere shadows of their historical counterparts. The performances lacked the depth and authenticity required to bring these historical figures to life, leaving the audience with a detached and unengaging experience. In contrast to my initial hope for a diamond in the rough, the cast's inability to convey the complexities of their characters left me feeling as though I had stumbled upon fool's gold.

Compounding the issue was the uninspired direction that failed to salvage the lackluster performances. The series stumbled through crucial events in Alexander's life without allowing the narrative to breathe or the characters to evolve. The pacing felt disjointed, resulting in a narrative that lacked cohesion and emotional resonance. It was a missed opportunity to explore the intricate relationships and political intrigue surrounding Alexander, turning what could have been an exciting historical drama into a forgettable and uninspiring series.

My decision to pause the first episode and navigate away from Netflix was not driven by a sense of betrayal or dashed expectations but rather by the realization that my quest for a hidden gem had led me astray. The show, rather than being an unpolished masterpiece waiting to be discovered, turned out to be a lackluster addition to the historical drama genre.

It's worth noting that this unexpected disappointment came as a surprise, especially considering Netflix's track record of delivering quality original content. While every streaming platform has its hits and misses, "Alexander: The Making of A God" stands out as an unfortunate misstep in a sea of otherwise commendable productions. It raises questions about the curation process and quality control mechanisms in place for Netflix originals, leaving viewers like myself wondering how such a lackluster series made its way onto the platform.

In conclusion, my eagerness to uncover a hidden gem in historical drama led me to "Alexander: The Making of A God," only to be met with a series that failed to deliver on its potential. The combination of subpar acting and uninspired direction diminished the allure of exploring Alexander the Great's story, leaving me with a sense of missed opportunity rather than the triumphant discovery I had hoped for. For those seeking engaging historical dramas, this series may not be the treasure trove they are looking for.

It was so bad, so fast, that I put it down instantly.

Maybe the creators didn't want to remake the Farrell Alexander. Or maybe there wasn't enough info that would be palatable to the Netflix audience that gets bored in the age of TikTok. Nita particularly good look at Alexander's life. The series starts with Al in exile at age 20. It leaves out his education with Aristotle and the taming of his famous horse. These two stories are part of the legend. Why they were left out is beyond me. Another reviewer noted the flaws in the armor worn by the troops. I can't speak to that but the horses were too large and the tack was off. I get really annoyed by that detail. Narrators pop in and out to provide sciencey exposition that stops the motion of the story. I'd suggest reading The Persian Boy instead of watching this series. And let's quit making the Persians the Evil Empire. It was a long lived and culturally diverse area that existed as part of the Silk Road. A series on Persia would be fascinating.

I'm impressed at least by the fact that Netflix is paying more attention to audiences who are interested in history.

Having said that, I think the hardcore history audience will also demand a lot from the Netflix series.

They're such nerds that they've read everything and expect Netflix to present it to the public just like the books.

It's a docudrama with very strong drama, but it could be worse.

There are a lot of inaccuracies it is true. But giving this documentary 1/10 because you think "Alexander was Greek not Macedonian" reveals how stupid you are despite knowing more about Alexander than the producers.

I am starting to notice a pattern.

You watch a Netflix series about some true historical figures, and you are shown some admirable things about them. The aesthetics are beautiful. You finish watching it, and you feel satisfied, and are glad to have been told an interesting chapter of history that you now feel you "know from beginning to end".

Then you later find out, through reading either the primary sources (or reading other people's reviews, as in the case of this series) that the series was actually wildly inaccurate, and in a suspicious way. A ton of really epic stuff was just LEFT OUT. They also added a lot of inaccurate stuff that makes the characters look bad.

The end result is that the story, and the characters portrayed, were watered down and made mediocre in the series, contrasted to the actual real story.

I've seen this with the abominable series "The Last Czars", and now also with this Alexander series. I also Notice that there is some overlap between these 2 series, regarding the writers behind them!

I can't help but wonder if this is done intentionally, to wipe away our history? As an analogy, it's like people going to see a huge epic temple that they've heard about, but someone has set up a cheap mediocre replica on the way, so that the people will stop there instead, and not see the real one.