At first I wasn’t sure about the first few minutes of this film because I didn’t care for the stage settings that made it look like a play. Looking past that, I was able to see a beautiful story about love, betrayal and decisions that alter the lives of many. A true delight to watch.

This film is an insult to Tolstoy and his great novel, which I’ve read three times. I couldn’t take more than ten minutes. A total waste of time and money. Read the book.

Do not watch if you can only sit through basic, predictable films. This one demands your attention and artistic side. If you cannot bring yourself to meet these demands, you will probably hate it like many others. If you can deal with everything not being handed to you on a silver platter without any thought required, then I think you will love it, as I do. A film to study and cherish, if you are willing.

It was the best movie I've ever watched. Only the few imaginative, historical, and people who love love stories really understand. I watch it every day. It is beautiful and something different. The costumes are AMAZING.The actors and actresses are perfect for this film. It is the best of the best for me. Worth every second. VERY RECOMMENDED!

The ‘staging’ of this film - interleaved realistic live action with on-stage sorts of events - was so odd to my wife and I that we didn’t even finish watching the movie. Just weird…..

Though I am not familiar with the story, the delivery, coupled with the acting made what I saw appealing. What could have been run of the mill, was over the top, visually stunning, and unique. The acting performances struck the right balance with the scenery and theatrics. It was worth watching to the end.

My favorite movie

I didn’t begin this with expectations that it’d even rival the book, but nevertheless, I was still shocked that such a masterpiece could be ruined in such a way. Characters are flat, depth is lacked, imagery is done away with aside from the splendor of the Tsarist aristocracy. Tolstoy’s allusions are stripped leaving one with a cardboard story.

This film is wonderfully abstract and the acting is superb-it's one of my favorites. Would absolutely recommend.

I understand that it is difficult to put a 800-900 page book on screen, of course some subtleties will be lost, but I felt this was a very SHALLOW rendering of my favorite book. Disappointing! I felt some of the main points of the story were lost and the sex scenes were ridiculous.