The opening scene of Alexander: The Making of a God is a brutal one: young Alexander (Buck Braithwaite) watching from the shadows as his father, King Philip II, is assassinated. It’s a moment that sets the tone for Stuart Elliott’s six-part Netflix docudrama—a series that blends expert interviews with staged reenactments to chart the rise of one of history’s most formidable conquerors.

What works best here is the casting. Braithwaite, in particular, brings a compelling mix of youthful intensity and strategic cunning to Alexander, avoiding the pitfalls of Oliver Stone‘s 2004 film, which often leaned into melodrama. The supporting cast, including Mido Hamada as King Darius and Kosha Engler as Olympias, also delivers strong performances, grounding the historical figures in something resembling human depth.

The series’ structure—alternating between talking-head experts and dramatized sequences—is familiar, but Mitchell uses it effectively. Scenes like Alexander’s confrontation with the Oracle (Souad Faress) are visually striking, with Faress’s performance adding an eerie, almost supernatural weight to the proceedings. The battle reenactments, though occasionally rushed, benefit from dynamic cinematography and practical effects that lend a visceral immediacy to the conflict.

Where the series stumbles is in its pacing. The narrative of Alexander conquering Persia’s empire feels uncomfortably compressed, glossing over key political maneuvers and strategic nuances that defined his campaigns. At times, it reduces complex historical events to a series of bold but unsubstantiated claims—Alexander’s brilliance is asserted rather than demonstrated through careful analysis.

Originality is another weak point. While the hybrid docudrama format has been done before (most notably in Netflix’s own The Crown and Roman Empire), Alexander: The Making of a God doesn’t push the boundaries enough to stand out. The expert interviews, while informative, often feel like afterthoughts, tacked on to justify the dramatized segments rather than deepening them.

Genre-wise, the series straddles an uneasy line between documentary and historical drama. It lacks the rigor of a pure documentary (such as The Mediterranean: A History in 100 Objects), but it also doesn’t fully embrace the creative liberties of a scripted period piece. The result is a series that feels caught between two worlds, never fully committing to either.

Ultimately, Alexander: The Making of a God is a solid but unremarkable entry into the historical docudrama genre.