Anna Karenina - Movie Review

Plot: Set in 19th century Russia, an aristocrat enters into a whirlwind romance and life changing affair.

Thoughts: After seeing previews for this movie, I knew I would definitely want to see it.  We finally had the opportunity this evening and I must admit, I'm slightly disappointed. 

Not ten minutes in I was already experiencing concerns due to the sets.  I found out through the trivia section on IMDB that the majority of the movie was filmed in a run down theatre.  To move from one scene to the next, curtains would raise, backdrops would move, etc.  It was fascinating how the director was able to take so many places within a theatre and successfully use them to project different images such as the catwalk (an area above the stage often used for lighting) as a busy street, storage areas used as houses and ladders used as stairways leading from one room to the next.  By the end of the film, I was impressed by the continuity and flexibility present in filming and production even though this doesn't match my usual style expectations.

Keira Knightly played the main character Anna Karenina.  She did an excellent job of portraying the noble woman who finds herself in a love triangle.  The passion she displays for her new love interest is impressive as well as how believable she is in her role.  I've heard that her character is likable in the book, but all I felt was disappointment and anger with her character due to her choices and infidelity.  I was unable to be sympathetic to the pain her character experienced as a result of her choices. 

Jude Law plays Anna Karenina's husband Karenin.  Throughout the movie, you can't help but feel bad for Karenin due to his wife's infidelity and the shattering of his marriage.  Unfortunately, this character is not incredibly memorable.  I barely recognized Jude Law and once I realized it was him, I didn't find that his character did anything extraordinary.  This is really a scripting issue for me.  I feel like he's working with what was written, which simply wasn't great.

The third point of the love triangle is Vronsky played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.  Prior to this movie, I'd never heard of him and honestly don't recognize very much of his previous work.  He's a good looking guy, but his mustache in this film was incredibly distracting.  Besides being handsome, I'm not sure what other attributes we're supposed to find attractive about him.  I guess maybe its the mystery that was supposed to draw me to like his character.  Unfortunately, it didn't work.

In addition to the three main characters, there were other aristocrats and nobles who played small roles.  For instance, there are many women in Anna Karenina's social circle and men who are seeking out said women for marriage.

Of the secondary characters, my favorite was Levin played by Domhnall Gleeson.  We're introduced to Levin when he discusses proposing to a woman who is in love with Vronsky.  Honestly, I found that I was more invested in Levin than any other character in the movie.  The way he spoke, the way he portrayed himself, his compassion for his family and the woman he loved, everything combined made me believe he was a good man deserving of good things.

Due to the lack of actual connection between me and the characters, and the misunderstanding as to why each character should be likable, I'm leaning more negatively on this movie than not.  The effects were impressive (although not my style), as was the costume and individual set designs, but unfortunately, the script/direction leaves much to be desired.