Anna Karenina (2012)

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The cinema theater scene moved with this film. The film is definitely a masterpiece. The splendor of the stage transitions, the perfection of the player, the arrangement of the script with the book, the mimics gestures, the clothes, the scene were all great. But I must say here that everyone can not taste the same taste. This movie was a totally different thing. The picture of a painter, the music of your music was wonderful. I love the film, and once again I admire Keira's acting. You have to watch. Good looking.

The extremely unattractive style and poor acting abilities of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Vronsky made this movie unbearable to watch. The movie seemed interesting at first, but at least twice in the first sixty minutes I had to stop and ask what the hell is going on here. One minute I am watching Keira with a dude who seems like her husband, then she is checking out Aaron who appears married to a woman old enough to be his mother and then next thing you know he is in bed with Keira in what seemed to be a dream fantasy, but it was real. How does she go from being alone to ending up in bed with this dude? The directing for this film is garbage. This is two hours of my life I want back. Movies like this is why when someone says if your product is bad you should feel bad applies to these low-budget hack directors ripping off movie-goers.The only positive of this film is Jude Law and the camera visuals.

This is the first review I have submitted for any movie, at any time. I am doing so because I was unusually pleased with this film. For the record, I am generally a very harsh critic. As an example, I just saw "Darkest Hour" on Churchill, in the theater, which Rotten Tomatoes gave 4 out of 5 starts (or tomatoes?) whereas I came out of that theater critiquing the music and sound track. Otherwise, good film.The Karenina film, for me, was seen on television and without any plan or knowledge of the film before hand. In short, I had heard the name but had no expectations. As a result, I was open to it.The costumes were fantastic, the angles, lighting and sound, as well. The unusual manner of filming was, as some reviewers called it "artsy fartsy" but accepting that it would be such early on, it did not distract me. Perhaps it even added just enough. Would I have been bored with out it? It is possible. Maybe it filled in some areas that would have left holes otherwise - I won't know.The acting was also good. Each role was well-defined, well-played, and there was no discomfort or obvious "issue" between actors. In other words, it flowed well and was believable. Yes, there was the contrived moment when Karenas lover lifted her in the air while dancing, and the choreography seemed to intentionally reflect what the director might have thought was a woman's orgasm, but that passed quickly and moved on. In general the emotions evoked seemed real, and yes, many issues were raised that left me wondering - not only about the history and how relations were at the time, but also how relations are now. To bring it forward, it was almost as if the old story revealed that co-dependence, as we might call it today; that inexplicable passion that binds people in ways that can be as destructive as they seem positive, can seem attractive, but in the end destroy us. It was passion that lead the main character to set aside her awareness and concern over morality. It was passion that lead her to mis-perceive the effect that her choices would likely have on her down the road, and which caused her to forget how much she loved her son. I am left wanting to see it again, or to read the book. So for me - it gets nine starts and recommendations that others see it.

Gorgeous, imaginative, highly original and emotionally transporting- Joe Wright's brilliant film takes us more deeply into Tolstoy's tragedy than any of the other rather tepid, flat and overtly LITERAL film adaptations. By hanging a theatrical frame on this very melodramatic story he is able to both highlight the inherent soap opera (hang a lantern on it, so to speak) while at the same time giving us much needed emotional distance; we can enjoy the truth of the situations and simultaneously understand their inherent theatricality and this magically frees us to find a deeper connection. By the use of abstraction he is able to move effortlessly from scene to scene- thereby allowing for a brisk yet resonant form of storytelling. The actors are absolutely committed and deliver across the board stunning performances, especially Jude Law, Domhnall Gleeson and a truly transcendent Alicia Vikander. I just finished reading the novel last week and I can say definitively that Joe Wright has mastered not only the tone and voice and emotions of Tolstoy's book but found a way to seamlessly convey the expansiveness of the world as well as the finely wrought intimate details of the smallest exchanges. Bravo to everyone involved, from the costumes, production design, choreography, musical soundtrack and especially Tom Stoppard's absolutely breathtaking screenplay. A real honest to God masterpiece.