Anna Karenina | Rotten Tomatoes

Anna Karenina

R

Released Nov 30, 2012

2 hr. 9 min.

Romance

History

Drama

List

63%

193 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), the wife of a Russian imperial minister (Jude Law), creates a high-society scandal by an affair with Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a dashing cavalry officer in 19th-century St. Petersburg. Anna's husband, Alexei, offers her a difficult choice: Go into exile with Vronsky but never see her young son again, or remain with her family and abide by the rules of discretion. Meanwhile, a farmer named Levin pines for Princess Kitty, who only has eyes for Vronsky.

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Critics Consensus

Joe Wright's energetic adaptation of Tolstoy's classic romance is a bold, visually stylized work -- for both better and worse.

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Elena

this movie is absolutely beautiful. no words, just beautiful

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/23

Full Review

ciri_ r

I'll be honest, I gave 5 stars only to Vronsky aka Aaron Taylor Johnson because he's the hottest man that has ever appeared on screen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

Full Review

Sunny W

I would rather say the society doesn't give a woman a chance to really explore a career, a job, a side hustle, a sewing event, a concert, or really anything like that. I don't feel Anna has done anything wrong, but I feel she represents the soul awakening experience of the people not in power, and the end result of soul awakening is being misled by people with evil intentions, which cause her death. The Russian society is very authoritative and depressive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

Gareth v

The master of making boring, pretentious drivel doesn't disappoint with this dull fare. Is there a more overrated director than Joe Wright working today? Unlikely.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/17/23

Full Review

Smoov T

This is an extremely underrated film that I'm so glad I went into blind. A haunting and surreal take on a very dense classic novel. Excellent pacing that sweeps you through the pages and brings this tale to life. The cinematography is unique and fascinating throughout. Russian high society is portrayed entirely on the stage, and we only see select characters who are able to escape it. Sets are reused and woven into the narrative in a way that continues to swing the viewer around in its dizzying and hypnotic waltz. The soundtrack also deserves high acclaim. Dario Marianelli's score works masterfully and pulls the perfect blend of emotion and high drama to fit Kiera Knightley's fierce, relentless Anna. The movie benefits from a second watch to take in the small intricacies of the story and to appreciate the extreme care and detail that went into the set in each shot. It is not a classic take on this story, but I found this rendition fresh and exhilarating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

steve d

Never a fan of this story, but the acting is strong.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Joe Wright

Director

Keira Knightley

Anna Karenina

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Vronsky

Jude Law

Karenin

Domhnall Gleeson

Levin

Alicia Vikander

Kitty

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Anna Karenina: Official Clip - The Horse Race

3:21

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - Will You Marry Me?

2:00

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - The Smaller Sin

2:38

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - Forgive Me

2:09

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - Anna & Vronsky

3:13

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - I'm Pregnant

1:38

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - An Insult to Decency

3:15

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - Did No Mean Never?

3:13

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - Too Late

2:16

Anna Karenina: Official Clip - I Am His Mistress

2:26

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Wright has said he did not wish to make 'yet another period drama', and he's achieved this, has explored something new, but at an emotional cost.

Sep 1, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

It's far from a perfect film, but Anna Karenina should be praised for its attempt to reinvent the wheel of stuffy costume-clad Masterpiece Theater for the big screen.

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2017

Full Review

Graham Fuller

Film Comment Magazine

The look is gorgeous, of course, but seldom has so much aestheticization served so much heartlessness.

Nov 5, 2013

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

While even skilled filmmakers would have trouble adapting Tolstoy’s novel in a straightforward form, Wright attempts a book-to-stage-to-film approach and, for the first time in his career, stretched his considerable talent thin.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 20, 2022

Full Review

Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

The machinery of the music box comes undone in our hands, but the light dancing on the little silver gears is still so beautiful and heartbreaking.

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

The characters, so beautifully drawn by Tolstoy, are severely truncated in the film, functioning as relatively impoverished figures.

Feb 28, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), the wife of a Russian imperial minister (Jude Law), creates a high-society scandal by an affair with Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a dashing cavalry officer in 19th-century St. Petersburg. Anna's husband, Alexei, offers her a difficult choice: Go into exile with Vronsky but never see her young son again, or remain with her family and abide by the rules of discretion. Meanwhile, a farmer named Levin pines for Princess Kitty, who only has eyes for Vronsky.

Director: Joe Wright
Executive Producer: Liza Chasin
Screenwriter: Tom Stoppard
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Working Title Films
Rating: R (Violence|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Romance, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 30, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.8M
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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