Anna Karenina

2012 • 129 minutes

About this movie

Academy Award-nominee Keira Knightley, Academy Award-nominee Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson dazzle in this stunning new vision of Leo Tolstoy's epic love story. At the twilight of an empire, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), the beautiful high-ranking wife of one of imperial Russia's most esteemed men (Jude Law), has it all. But when she meets the dashing cavalry officer Vronsky (Taylor-Johnson), there is a mutual spark of instant attraction that cannot be ignored. She's immediately swept up in a passionate affair that will shock a nation and change the lives of everyone around her. From acclaimed director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) and Academy Award-winning writer Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) comes this visually enchanting masterpiece hailed by critics as "ecstatic" (Time), "rapturous" (MSN Movies) and "a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed!" (The Huffington Post)

Ratings and reviews

Love can be seen in many way, with a partner whether for status, lust or true healthy love, love for a child. The way it's portrayed in the movie is fantastic. The music used was beautiful. A movie will have its drawbacks like how there's a lot going on and the stage is utilized as a play. Not in the book but still 5 stars.

Although I didn't read the book, I enjoyed this movie. Honestly, I enjoy all of Keira Knightley's pieces on period based romances. However, this movie is set apart from the crowd by it's originality in how it was produced. I loved how creative the scene transitions were and how one thing was always carried forward into the next scene. The plot was difficult to follow at some points but overall a very good movie. I can't say that I absolutely love this movie because it left me grasping for straws at the end. What happened to Vronsky?? Did he really court another woman, or was Anna loosing it? - But like I said I didn't read the book - I may, just to find out the ending though. I recommend this movie if you have time to sit down and watch a good movie that is 2 hours long.

The first 15 minutes were jarring to me, and it took time for my eyes to adjust to what I am hoping was the artist's way of taking an oldie and giving it a fresher viewpoint. The more I studied the faces and movements, I realized how much it actually reminds me of Tolstoy's storytelling. In the end, I was emotionally drained. When the credits rolled I felt I wanted more of the art that flowed through the movements of the movie. But let's face it, we are no longer being conditioned to the study of movie art. We expect rapid fire chunks that leave us feeling high without much introspection. It's a tough crowd in movie land. We demand that art be diminished to satisfy our hunger for the fast life.