Anna Karenina (2012)
Overall, the film is visually stunning, but it lacks heart and substance to carry the enormous weight of Tolstoy’s profound story.
What is Anna Karenina about?
In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky. (from IMDB)
My review of Anna Karenina
The cast
Of the three leads, Jude Law is the only one who fits his role perfectly; he played his part subtly and brilliantly, and I thought his performance was flawless.
Aaron Taylor Johnson is watchable, but the blonde hair just didn’t work for me. Most of the time he looks out of place, and with a watery performance matched only Knightley’s.
I have never liked Kiera Knightley as an actress, but I was ready to put aside my bias and look for the positives in her performance. Unfortunately, I only found her acting more infuriating and shallow.
Her smiles are forced, her emotions never reach her eyes, and she might as well still be acting for Pirates of the Caribbean. Her performance is very hard to watch, and – partly the writer’s fault, I’m sure – she never allows Anna’s dilemma to come full circle. As a result, I struggled to feel sorry for the character, and Anna’s emotional journey – as well as her external one concerning her life in society – is never strong or powerful enough to deliver depth and evoke sympathy.
The secondary cast is very good, especially Domhnall Gleeson and Matthew MacFadyen. MacFadyen is refreshing comic-relief, and I only wish we’d seen more of him. I’m a big fan of Alicia Vikander, too, but it’s only towards the end that her character actually becomes watchable.
Story and plot
The script is painfully slow-moving, the story is foggy and vague, and the brilliant talents of Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, and Matthew MacFadyen are sorely underused in a tragic romance where the miscasts take centre stage.
Visuals
Visually, however, the film is stunning. The costumes are gorgeous and the cinematography is beautiful. Apparently the creators favoured appearance over substance.
The time period is well portrayed. The sets are atmospheric and eye-catching, and the costumes suit the time period, too.
