User Reviews

Not a spoiler, highly inaccurate series. I agree with anither review saying that the 300 movie was more accurate than this 😂. So many missed moments, missed battles, inaccurate events oh so many. It felt like watching something like "ancient aliens", like this is a hypothesis of a couple of PhDs. The disappointing part also is that one of the historians is from St Andrews University. It had such high standards.. Clearly not anymore. Although, that historian was the most serious and studious than the rest of them! One is in love with Alexander and is telling a story that he has in his mind and the other is almost like making fun of him. What an odd series. Only reason I put 4 stars, is for the drama series, not the historians nor the highly inaccurate story.

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.

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.

So many damning reviews. It's is entertainment woven around a great historical figure for whom there are many myths and legends. The show introduces Alexander to a broader audience. It also gives a bit of screen time to Alexander's 2nd wife which is nice as women in history are a bit overlooked in the shadows the men cast. This is entertainment and to be honest not a lot less factual than a lot of stuff you see on the history channel. Enjoy it for what it is and marvel at the genius of a great mind and restless action. The landscapes are beautiful and his achievements in the ancient world truly astounding.

Really enjoyed this series, I really liked the historians they picked, no idea why they got so much hatred, all from respected universities all were quite passionate about the story, especially enjoyed the welsh guy (forgotten his name!) all seemed to be knowledgeable about the subject.

Sure they took some artistic license with certain elements but the tales are always subjective to some extent.

I really liked the layout of the series flicking between the talking heads and the dramatised series. Acting was decent, series was great fun, I binged watched it and it definitely got me more interested in this period of history.

If you're not Dave from Swansea who's already read two books on Alexander and thus is the golden source of truth now from his armchair and you go into it with an open mind (it's not trying to be a Hollywood film like Troy), you'll enjoy it.

First off most of these reviews clearly did not make it past the first episode for various reasons.

The gay angle being put forth in the first 15 min or so seems to have upset people. This has been a debate for a long time with Alexander. Did you really expect it to not be included, especially coming from Netflix? I'm on episode 6 now and it is barely mentioned again. So if they needed to put that forth in the first few moments and get it out of the way to hit the Netflix absurd quota, fine. It is not a big deal.

The accuracy. Again it is Netflix. I am shocked it actually was entertaining and covered SOME aspects correctly. It is still a drama and meant for entertainment. There is no way to cover all Alexander accomplished in this type of show. This focused on Darius and the battle with each other. Simplistic, absolutely. Missing a lot, definitely. Still worth watching, I think so.

The casting. Again with Netflix the fact they did not cast Alexander as black is surprising in and of itself. I had no issue with the casting at all. In fact the guy that plays Alexander I think fit perfectly and if they ever do a proper Alexander story, I would like to see him play the role again.

Heavily flawed no doubt. Maybe I have been starved for something about Alexander for a while and was just happy with getting something.

Historical parody in documentary format. Actually, I give 6 points to content that I finish without being bored in the least, but this work misleads people historically. What the historians in this series do is not in line with the ethics of their profession. A historian and archaeologist has an obligation to try presenting history in its most accurate form. As a branch of science, of course, within the most current findings. Professional ethics requires this. I am in a country where we live to see how serious the consequences of distortion of historical facts can be. You may say that it is obvious that the things shown here are not very accurate historically, then what is the point of making a documentary. Also there will always be an audience that will believe and accept what they see.

I just finished watching the Alexander episodes. I found it engaging, interesting, fascinating and I don't understand all these negative reviews. It is not' a BBC documentary. And luckily! They are so boring. Here a key to understanding the myth of Alexander has truly been given intriguing! If they had had more budget surely the special effects would have been better and also the certainly greater number of extras. Despite all this, Netflix has made a docudrama that really works. The very interesting news from the experts is accompanied by the vision of vivid images with beautiful colors (beautiful photography), epic in flavor, (magnificent costumes) with certainly fascinating actors. This Netflix experiment is a risky but successful one. Risky because being a hybrid, balancing the testimonies of historians with the work of fiction presents many pitfalls; Successful because it is a fascinating product, which is easy to follow and which has the advantage of stimulating knowledge (which can and must be deepened) of such a charismatic character.

The curiosity remains to see the continuation of the Hero's exploits.

Just like the Mehmed series, its another piece form the history.. about Alexander and him being called and praised as 'Son of Zeus' .. Overall the series is 60% Entertaining and 40% based on history.. So dont expect the accurate history lessons from the series. The show is rather to be watched as an entertainment.

The actors are fine and some of the war scenes are shot well but they are quite short.. .

The show has narations running behind the scenes which can be irritating sometimes.. but overall I enjoyed the show and its not as bas as the other reviews are saying...Its definetly entertainig and one time watch..

This is a well made documentary and, as is common with the modern trend, it relies heavily on actors playing out the story. Mostly such filmed sequences but linked by academic experts explaining the history. It works extremely well and all of the academics are mainstream and very able. Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Is particularly good and it must be a joy to study under him. Some minor irritations include some over emphasis on historically unproven incidents and not enough from Professor Ali Ansari, who, like Lllewellyn-Jones, really knows his stuff. A good series that is good on history and makes it clear where mythology is involved.

Alexander the Great is a legend. A wonderful legend. But only a legend. And this series is just entertainment.

I'm a m/t Greek speaker, so I'm watching it mute with Greek subtitles... Works quite well, as entertainment.

I'm a fan of Valerio Massimo Manfredi, the Italian archeologist/ancient historian and novelist, whose Alexander Trilogy is a masterpiece of storytelling.

I'm not interested in Alexander's 'historicity' because for me, he is a legend and that's how I know and love him.

So, this series relates that legend in a certain way that I find quite enjoyable, in Greek!

If I want 'accuracy' I'll go to a book. For me this is simply pure ancient escapism! Wonderful!

This is the first time Alexander's humane side is shown in a film rather than just about battles. I felt I really understood the boy inside him dealing with all this sudden power endowed upon him. Love the fact that his bisexuality was shown for what it truely was according to most historians. For someone who knew little about him I found this series enlightening and entertaining. I'm sure there is more to his life that could have been dealt with but this remains to be the best film or documentary about the young lad's coming to power and inner thoughts and feelings. Great acting and epic scenes and music. Pity it wasn't longer.

Could have gone His-tory - I think I did something similar with the Cleopatra "documentary" ... now why do I write it like that? And I do not mean the headline (no pun intended there), but the fact that for this is not what I personally would call a documentary. It is a bit fiction, it is a bit people talking (or talking heads) ... with the reenactment part being quite big here.

Oliver Stones Alexander had its issues - and I get it that some may have had issues with the movie tackling his sexuality. The thing is no one knows for sure - but is it or rather could it be likely he liked both men and women? I think that is a possibility. Overall that should not matter - it does not take anything away from his achievements ... and there were quite a few of them.

This right here lists many of them. It also gives a face to the Persians ... something I was not really privy to when we learned about history in (Greek) class. So in a sense it is quite interesting and nice to see a bit of different sides to this. Overall Alexander is really getting a good treatment here - I don't think any "fan" of his should have issues with that.

Even though this is quite long and has quite a few episodes it still can not cover all his life - or legacy for that matter. Which seems to be something a second season may be tackling .. I do not think I will watch that. The format itself is not really something that entices me to put it mildly ... for what it's worth it was interesting and way less "painful" than Cleopatra ... but you may feel differently of course ...

Yet again, Netflix makes the same mistakes, making everything feel like a joke.

This feels like a cheap soap opera instead of a documentary. The inaccuracy of the historical events are insane, the acting is very sad and forced. Nothing is explained about Alexander's life, they only induced fake drama which makes no sense at all.

This is a shame, Alexander has always been one of my favourite rulers from the past and I was hoping for some new information or at least a good interpretation of the ones all of us know.

This is another Netflix fail, do not waste your time if you are a history nerd, all you will end up on with is being sad and frustrated.

Well made docudrama about Alexander. Is it entirely accurate? No it's not but then what ever is. If however there are several professors talking about it I'd tend to believe them more than these hateful internet cellar dwellers who nowadays, literally rip just about everything apart for their endless whining. I really don't care if the Persian's armor was accurate ( as long they're not wearing ripped jeans I'm good). Superb acting from most of the cast ( especially Alexander and Darius ). There are some small, interesting scenes about the digging being done in Alexandria and the search for his tomb. The battle scenes are limited but this understandably is not a huge budget show or movie. Still it has good production values and some really great drama. Be warned: like the story of Mehmet this is left open for a part 2. Can't wait.

The scenes play like something you would find in a serialised graphic novel, some frames are overly drawn (with dramatic music). The way the script constantly switches between dialogue and the historians is unappreciated, because is the way it paces past dramatic bits just leaves big blanks. Several historical inaccuracies are present in the script. The historians also never mention any names of any primary authors or sources, historical contentions are just that. The script also favours showing a scene with Alexander kissing Hephaestion rather than being mentored by Plato. I doubt the former is what led to Alexander continuing to be revered today. You won't appreciate this as a fan of the Classics unless its props or eye-candy you're after. I wouldn't be surprised to see the prop-maker win more awards than the rest of the crew.

The videography however, props and lighting are phenomenal though.

Although these days kids don't read history as much, it's still good to know our world has been formed. After the silly 300, this series has some historical basis. Even if not 100% accurate, but million times better than stupid 300. On the down side, everything is a close up. The producers could have used some computer simulations to show the sizes of the armies. There is no way of knowing the sizes of the armies and cities.

Again, at lease some history supporting this show. The researcher comments were useful too. Lastly, in the maps, they used cities old names, it would have been useful to include the current names in the brackets).

I found the documentary disappointing due to its inaccurate portrayal of historical figures, particularly Darius. The depiction of Darius with a turban and eyeliner seemed more akin to a caricature than a respectful representation of the Persian Emperor, who was a significant figure in establishing human rights. Persia was the cradle of art and architecture at the time and at its highest. This portrayal of Darius felt more like a misrepresentation, leaning towards an 'Arabic snake dancer' stereotype rather than a dignified leader of the largest empire of the time. It seemed as though the documentary was more a tribute to Alexander rather than an objective historical account, failing to accurately represent the facts and events of that era. This was a letdown, as I expected a documentary to offer a factual and unbiased view.

Interesting to learn more about Alexander and how he conquered Persia. I like these documentaries with a mix of historians telling their facts, and some dramatic scenes played out. But they could not have picked a LESS charismatic and less believable actor to play the role of Alexander who must have exuded and unbelievable power and charisma in real life. The other actors are not very convincing either and I wonder if the whole thing is not an American, paternalistic interpretation of how Greeks and Persians and Egyptians were and how they interacted with each other. For example the bringers of bad news staring straight into the eyes of king Darius, and continuing to stare while he weeps.... I doubt that things went like that! And it is also quite shallow in celebrating violence and war, without any nuance.

I usually don't post reviews, but the amount of review bombing on this drama documentary is ridiculous and such plain dumb.

This whole documentary is backed up by experts and the dramatisation is entertaining. I learned more than I knew before and it was fun watching.

I recommend this because there is much to be learned. We should also be wary of all those 1 rating reviews. What a joke and so clearly apparent. I was confused at first, but then I quickly realised the times we live in with all the bigotry and prejudice out in the open.

Such as it is, I suppose we have to adapt (for the time being) to these review bombings and push back.