The True Story of Alexander the Great (History Channel)

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not groundbreaking
Review: This is a worthy documentary but it is rather short. It tries to strike a balance by showing Alexander's life from youth until he eventually assumed the reigns of power and conquered the known world. There is no one outstanding or trully memorable sequence in this documentary nor is there colorful or dramatic commentary. There are some CGI scenes (that are used over and over) that do paint a fine picture of the Macedonian army's formations. Some of the battles are explored with superficial detail and provide a shallow analysis of the strategies used.

For anyone who really likes this documentary, I would highly recommend "In the Footsteps of Alexander" by Michael Wood. In that DVD, Alexander's footsteps are re-traced from the time he left his home (never to see it again) until his death. It has many memorable scenes and fine commentary by Wood. Neither documentary provides an exhaustive portrait of the man but they do help you get there with further research.