mvvik

Although I rated it 3 out of 10, I have to be fair and mention that there are certain enjoyable aspects to this movie; perhaps I was too harsh. Let me start therefore by mentioning those positive aspects: it is a very well crafted movie (Mikhalkov sure has no lack of skill), with gorgeous cinematography, and plenty of wonderful visuals. The bad side is, there is nothing else about it that I can recommend. In regards to the portrayal of pre-revolutionary Russia, and the ideas expressed in the movie, it is utterly silly, fake and pretentious. In fact, it is fake and pretentious to the point of being ridiculous.

The idealization of tsarist Russia is so unabashed, it will make every Russian in his/her right senses laugh hysterically. Another laughable aspect is that the movie's director (the eminent Nikita Mikhalkov) has chosen to cast himself as H.M. the Russian Tsar Himself. A less laughable (but telling) aspect is that Mikhalkov's monarch of choice is Alexander III, one of the more tyrannical and abhorrent Russian tsars (he succeeded the much more progressive and educated Alexander II, who, alas, was killed by leftist terrorists). The main ideological theme of the movie is very familiar to every Russian: it's the idea of the "Russian soul", too complicated to be grasped by primitive soul-less westerners (especially the uncouth American characters in the movie). The national monopoly on human sentiment implied by the "Russian soul" idea is laughable, and it is deeply ironic that this idea is identical to the purely American notion of American national superiority (here I should mention that I live mostly in U.S. but am Russian by blood, birth and up-bringing - grew up in Moscow - so I know what I am talking about).

In short, this movie is candy for your eyes, and renting it may not be a total waste; it has some simple entertainment value. However, the best use for this movie is to select a particularly stunning scene, and press the "pause" button; it makes for a wonderful decoration. -- Victor

I enjoyed this movie quite a lot; if you are into Jeunet-type fantasy, I would recommend that you see it. Overall, I would give it a rating of 7 out of 10. The reason for the Jeunet comparison (e.g. Delicatessen, City of Lost Children) is that it has the same dark antiutopian/surrealistic ambiance to it, and is very imaginative. It is also very elaborate in its style, which lends most of the appeal to the movie. This being said, the biggest disappointment of the movie is the plot, which is overly straightforward and simple-minded, but at least it does not devolve into some technical meaningless psycho-babble as many Hollywood fantasy movies do, and maintains its fairy-tale quality.

It is unfortunate that modern Russian cinematography seems to be chasing the success of Hollywood (which is ironic, given the country's negative attitude towards US in general and Hollywood in particular), but this movie benefits from Hollywood-style special effects, and is free of annoying clichés (unlike the atrociously pretentious "Barber of Siberia" - another recent style-heavy Russian blockbuster; sorry Mikhalkov).

To sum up, this movie is quite original, imaginative, stylish and at times visually stunning, which in my book constitutes success, but don't expect any depth of ideas.