10 Best Movies (& Shows) About Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great is one of the greatest military minds and conquerors in history. The Macedonian expanded the Greek Empire further than any Westerner had before him, reaching all the way to India. Numerous movies and shows have been made about him, including a new Netflix semi-documentary series that just came out.

If you want to hear and learn more about Alexander the Great and his endeavors, you’re in the right place. Here is a list of the ten best movies, documentaries, and TV shows about Alexander the Great – ranked solely based on their respective IMDb scores.

10. ‘Alexander: The Making of a God’ (2024-)

IMDb score: 5.0/10

What it’s about: This is the story of how Alexander the Great became not only a King but a god. Through unique reenactments, follow the documented life of the Macedonian conqueror as he created one of the largest empires in history by the age of 30.

Why you should watch it: I found this Netflix documentary series to be an interesting blend of documentary-style narration and live-action reenactments. However, the show lacks a certain depth, and some things that are taken as facts in the series actually have no historical proof. For instance, Alexander’s relationship with his friend Hephaestion is rumored to be homosexual, but there’s actually no real proof that it was anything but a friendship – only speculation. Still, it’s entertaining enough to give it a shot.

9. ‘Alexander the Great’ (1963)

IMDb score: 5.1/10

What it’s about: Follows the period of Alexander the Great’s life leading up to the huge battle against King Darius III and the colossal Persian Empire. As the threat of battle looms nearer, Alexander must also deal with rivals and challengers among his own troops, as well as a tired army of soldiers wanting to catch a break.

Why you should watch it: This movie is on the lesser-known spectrum, seeing that it is a TV movie that had only 50 minutes of runtime, but it was actually not that bad – and had several bigger names that should’ve made a bigger splash, like Adam West and William Shatner – who played Alexander.

8. ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life’ (2003)

IMDb score: 5.5/10

What it’s about: Lara Croft, aka the Tomb Raider, embarks on a quest to find, retrieve, and ‘save’ the mythical artifact called the Pandora’s Box from falling into the wrong hands – the hands of an evil scientist who wants it for nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, Lara is accompanied by a former Marine who now works as a mercenary for hire.

Why you should watch it: Yes, you read that right! While ‘The Cradle of Life’ isn’t actually a movie based on Alexander the Great, his role is actually quite important. In the movie, it was stated that one of Alexander’s men found the Pandora’s Box somewhere in India.

However, Alexander deemed the artifact too dangerous, so he hid it in a place called the Cradle of Life, whereas the map to find the Cradle of Life was hidden by Alexander as well, in the Luna Temple. So, there you go – no Alexander, no movie; it belongs on the list. Plus, it’s always funny to rewatch these old-timey cringey movies we adored as kids.

7. ‘Alexander’ (2004)

IMDb score: 5.6/10

What it’s about: The King of Macedonia, Alexander the Great is one of the greatest army leaders and conquerors in history. We follow his journey as he mows down most of the known world at the time, demolishing great rivals from the Balkans to India.

Why you should watch it: Interestingly enough, Angelina Jolie appears in this particular movie, too! Only this time, she’s not Lara Croft, but Olympias, Alexander’s mother. Although the movie garnered bad critical acclaim, one can’t deny the star power in the film which includes Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Angelina Jolie, Christopher Plummer, and others. If you’re interested in Alexander the Great, it’s worth a watch – just don’t expect anything spectacular that you normally would when you hear such a star-studded cast.

6. ‘Alexander the Great’ (1956)

IMDb score: 5.8/10

What it’s about: Follows the life of Alexander the Great from his early days, up until his conquest of the world and eventual demise.

Why you should watch it: This is probably the most well-known film about Alexander the Great from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Richard Burton portrayed Alexander, and although I didn’t particularly enjoy the film, others say they love watching it even to this day. Truth be told, the competition isn’t that great, so it really is one of the best movies about Alexander ever.

5. ‘Young Alexander the Great’ (2010)

IMDb score: 5.9/10

What it’s about: The movie focuses on Alexander the Great’s young life, before he became ‘the Great.’ Alexander fought hard to earn the trust of King Phillip, his strict father, who wouldn’t just hand over his throne to Alexander only because of blood. He had to prove himself, and so he did.

Why you should watch it: Most movies about Alexander the Great, naturally, focus on his adulthood and his days as a King who conquered the world. I liked that this movie was sort of a coming-of-age story of a younger Alexander because you get to see what he was like before rising to power, and how his life shaped him into such a formidable leader.

4. ‘Reign: The Conqueror’ (1997-2000)

IMDb score: 7.0/10

What it’s about: Alexander the Great is a powerful warrior King who was prophesied to not just conquer, but also destroy the known world. A unique, animated retelling of the historical story full of fiction and imagination.

Why you should watch it: Believe it or not, this is an anime series based on Alexander the Great. Although the only thing about him that is historically accurate here is that he was a conqueror, it’s actually quite a fun series that took a completely new and odd approach to the subject you’ll most certainly like if you enjoy anime overall.

3. ‘The True Story of Alexander the Great’ (2005)

IMDb score: 7.3/10

What it’s about: History Channel’s original documentary about Alexander the Great and his unfathomably successful conquests, from Greece and Turkey to most of Asia and parts of Africa – namely, Egypt – all before he ever turned 32. His unique battle tactics and strategies are still studied and continue to amaze even in modern warfare.

Why you should watch it: This is one of the coolest documentaries about Alexander the Great, told just fast enough to keep your attention, but paced enough to elaborate fluently and in detail. The best part about it is that it’s readily available for free on YouTube in its entirety, as you can see above.

2. ‘Lysippos Epoesen’ (1996)

IMDb score: 7.4/10

What it’s about: Alexander the Great was one of the greatest army leaders and conquerors in history, but he also enjoyed the company of a legendary artist who followed Alexander everywhere – the portraitist Lysippos Epoesen. This is the story of him, his life, and his art.

Why you should watch it: I actually loved this one-hour documentary about Lysippos because we often focus on Alexander alone and his incredible feats and triumphs. However, we tend to forget that he was also surrounded by brilliant people in their own right, such as his personal portraitist, Lysippos.

1. ‘In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great’ (1998)

IMDb score: 8.4/10

What it’s about: A four-episode documentary series about Alexander the Great, retracing his footsteps across several continents and sixteen countries, narrated by the legendary Michael Wood.

Why you should watch it: The rating of this mini docuseries tells you everything you need to know, but I’ll repeat for clarity – this is by far the best piece of content – be it a movie, a show, or a documentary – that I’ve ever seen. I love that most of the things Wood speaks about happened right there, at the very place they shot the scenes.

It gives you an amazing feeling of actually being present in the story, and I love the fact that Wood included the dark sides of Alexander’s history as well as his glorious endeavors.

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