Alexander [2004] [R] - 9.9.2 | Parents' Guide & Review

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Alexander | 2004 | R | - 9.9.2

Epic cinematic depiction of the life of Alexander the Great (played by Colin Farrell) and how by the age of 32 he had conquered more of the known world than anyone before him, having defeated armies from Greece through Persia and all the way to India, establishing a short-lived Hellenistic empire stretching from Europe to Asia. Also with Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto and Christopher Plummer. Directed by Oliver Stone. [2:56]

SEX/NUDITY 9 - A man kisses a woman (she's his wife) forcibly, she resists him, he forces her to bend over a table, lifts her dress and tries to force her to have sex; she gets away, he throws her onto a bed and tries again (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A man tries to force himself on a woman (she's his wife), she resists, they struggle, she hits him repeatedly, he tears off her clothes (we see her bare breasts, crotch and buttocks), and they continue to struggle (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details); they then kiss passionately, he flips her over onto a bed, we hear them breathing rhythmically, see him in silhouette thrusting and hear him climax. A man removes his robe (we see his bare buttocks and genitalia), climbs into bed, looks toward another man in the room and it is implied that he joins him in bed. Three men push a younger man across a table, lift his robe and slap his buttocks (it is not clear whether they have sex with him). Men and women dance for an audience, two men hug and kiss, and two other men hug and kiss. Two men talk lovingly and hug, and two men profess their love for each other and hug. Men and women kiss in many scenes, and men and men kiss in several scenes. Men walk through a room filled with women lounging and admire them, and some of the women begin dancing for the men. A man massages another man's shoulders. People discuss the love of men for other men throughout the movie. A man talks about men lying together in lust. A man talks about barbarians "mating in public." A woman in tribal garb is shown bare-breasted. A woman kisses her son on the forehead. Many scenes show bare-chested men, sometimes with cloth wrapped around their waists and other times with loin cloth-type covering below the waist. Nude male statues depict genitalia, buttocks and chests. Paintings of nude men depict genitalia. A woman's dress is off one shoulder and open along the side revealing flesh and bare thighs.

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VIOLENCE/GORE 9 - An army in a jungle awaits an approaching army, we hear thundering and we see elephants charge the men; many men are hit with spears and arrows (we see blood spurting, spraying and hear men screaming), men are speared by elephants' tusks (blood on tusks and the wound), men are crushed under elephants' feet (we hear crunches), and the trunk of an elephant is hacked off. A man rides through an opposing army slashing as he goes, rears his horse, and throws a knife at a man on a rearing elephant, who throws a spear that hits the horse and the man is shot with an arrow; the man falls to the ground, the horse is attacked repeatedly by men with swords and spears (we hear the horse shrieking, see blood gush from its wounds and then see it fall to the ground, although it does not die). We see a man hit in the crotch with an ax (blood pours), and many other men are slashed and stabbed (blood sprays and spurts). Two armies prepare to face off, spears are lowered, bows are readied, arrows are loosed, and men are hit (we see arrows hitting with blood spurting and men falling to the ground). Men fight with swords, men are hit by speeding chariots with blades protruding from the wheels (blood sprays and we hear them scream), horses are impaled (blood sprays), men run into spears (we see the point run them through, creating a bloody wound), men are stabbed in the throat (blood spurts), and men are stabbed in the head (blood sprays). A man is threatened by a man with an ax and another man cuts the aggressor's arm off (we see the bloody, severed arm and ax hit the ground); we hear squishing and slicing while men continue to fight with swords. A man tied to a stake is run through with a spear, and the man slips to the ground dead (we see the spear enter his chest and see blood collect on his clothes). A man is run through with a spear (we see the point come through the man's back and it is covered in blood). A man is stabbed in the stomach, he moans and clings to the man who stabbed him as the man continues to jam the knife in, going deeper. A man tries to force himself on a woman (she's his wife), she resists, they struggle, she hits him repeatedly, he tears off her clothes (we see her bare breasts, crotch and buttocks), and the woman holds a knife to the man's throat and threatens to kill him. A man kisses a woman (she's his wife) forcibly, she resists him, he forces her to bend over a table, lifts her dress and tries to force her to have sex, she gets away, he throws her onto a bed and tries again and then he grabs her throat and squeezes (we hear her gasping); a young boy watches, he tries to get the man off the woman, and the man hits the boy who falls to the floor. A man is chased by several men who knock him to the ground, and stab him repeatedly with spears (we see blood spurting and spraying and hear the man moaning). A wounded and very bloody man lies on a cot, and a metal stake is placed against the back of his neck, and is then struck (presumably breaking his neck in order to put him out of his misery). A man lies dead on the ground, with a very bloody stomach wound and a bloody and mangled face. A man carries a severed head on a pole (we see blood and matter dangling from the neck). We hear that a man was assassinated and then see it played out in a later scene; the man is stabbed in the stomach, he falls to the ground (we see blood in his mouth and on his stomach), and another man holds him as he dies. We see a group of blood-covered bodies slumped over a fallen tree after having been executed. We see many wounded and blood-covered men in a makeshift infirmary. A man is bitten by a snake, he screams, and then falls to the ground quivering. A man draws his sword and threatens another man (his son). We see fields strewn with bodies after battles. A man throws a metal goblet hitting another man in the stomach, they exchange harsh and insulting words and other men shove each other. A man appears to be hallucinating in a few scenes: he imagines his father's severed head being thrown at him, and he imagines his mother's head with snakes for hair reflected in a goblet of wine. Men fight with monkeys in a jungle (they shoot them with arrows and we hear the monkeys screech). A man is punched in the nose. Men argue fiercely, and one grabs another and shoves him against a wall. A bull is tied with ropes, and a man slashes it across the throat (we hear it shriek, the man's face is sprayed with blood and we see another man examining the animal's bloody entrails). A horse rears and bucks, and then a young boy tries to calm it and people fear the boy will be hurt. We hear a man take his last breath and see his hand fall limp over the side of his bed. A man lies ill and dying: his skin and lips are blue-tinged and it is implied that he was poisoned. A man drinks a large goblet of wine, then gags and falls to the floor. A man threatens to kill his son. A man attacks his wife, throws her against a table, holds her by the throat and then pushes her to the floor. A mother and son argue bitterly, he kisses her, and she spits in his face. Wall paintings depict violent stories from Greek mythology, such as the story of Prometheus: a large bird pecks out a man's liver (there's blood on the beak and the man's abdomen), a man plucks out his eyes (we see blood spurting), a woman slaughters her two children, and a man kills his three children. Murals depict battle scenes with blood-covered weapons and bloody bodies: one body with a bloody abdominal wound is tied by the feet to the back of a chariot and presumably dragged. We hear of many murders, poisonings and assassinations. A woman hands a young boy a large snake, and the boy holds the snake as it winds itself around him. Many men are shown with battle-scarred faces and bodies throughout the movie (several with scars across one eye). Young boys are taught to wrestle; they struggle on the ground and throw each other. A panther paces in a cage, and a bear growls in a cage.

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LANGUAGE 2 - 2 sexual terms, 1 anatomical term, 5 mild obscenities.

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SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol, sometimes to excess.

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DISCUSSION TOPICS - Greek history, Greek mythology, Greek philosophy, global conquest, spreading Hellenism, tyranny, barbarians, cultural diversity, joining cultures, betrayal, conspiracy, exploration, racism, excess, bisexuality, homosexuality, pride, irony, slavery, exile, treason, parental pride.

MESSAGE - Fortune favors the bold. Power corrupts. There is no glory without suffering.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.

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THE ASSIGNED NUMBERS
Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE & LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest depending on quantity & context |more|

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