The reviews are split down the middle, and the praise clusters almost entirely on the look of the film. Most critics admire the animation: the widescreen backgrounds, the carefully rendered settings, the blending of computer work with traditional cels, and a general lift in quality over Don Bluth’s recent films. Rasputin’s anarchic villainy draws some warmth too, and several find the central love story engaging enough to carry the film for children.
The reservations are about everything underneath the surface. The songs are called weak more than once, the plot is judged predictable and built from familiar animated-film conventions, and the liberties taken with the Romanovs trouble more than one critic. Variety and The AV Club go furthest, finding it formulaic and short of a creative spark. Radio Times draws the line by age: children will enjoy it, adults may not. The spread is wide, from a firm recommendation at RogerEbert.com to plain disappointment, with no single view dominant.