---
title: "Anna Karenina: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/anna-karenina/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/anna-karenina"
critics_score: 54
critics_reviews: 23
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Anna Karenina (2012): what the critics said

Critics' score 54 from 23 reviews: 5 positive, 10 mixed, 8 negative.

The consensus on Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina is mixed, with praise clustering around its visual invention and reservations around its emotional distance. The reviews repeatedly admire the production design, costumes, choreography and playful transitions, even when they find the theatrical setting distracting. Keira Knightley’s performance draws support across the divide: several critics credit her with giving Anna humanity and emotional force despite the elaborate staging competing for attention.

The spread is wide, and the central disagreement concerns whether that staging helps the drama or gets in its way. Empire finds the approach bold and imaginative, while acknowledging that the romance becomes less involving. At the other extreme, The New Yorker finds the adaptation shallow and impersonal, singling out Alicia Vikander for praise. Between those positions, the recurring complaint is that Wright’s formal flourishes keep the lovers at a distance, leaving their passion less convincing than the world around them.

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2011. 

Freer finds the adaptation bold, imaginative and intoxicating, despite its central romance becoming less involving. He especially praises Wright’s theatrical staging, singling out the lavish ballroom sequence as stunning.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/anna-karenina-3-review/)

## IndieWire — David Gritten

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2012. 

Gritten finds the adaptation ambitious, romantic, and ultimately triumphant, though it occasionally falters. He especially praises Wright’s dazzling visual inventiveness and the film’s vivid sound design.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/anna-karenina-early-review-visually-splendid-audacious-swoony-epic-romance-heads-for-oscars-202095/)

## Screen Daily — Mark Adams

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2012. 

The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also provides no readable detail about what the review praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/anna-karenina/5045978.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2012. 

The page appears to be a review of Joe Wright’s 2012 film, but its contents are inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the available text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/movies/anna-karenina-from-by-joe-wright-with-keira-knightley.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire

Rating 2.5/4. 15 November 2012. 

Lemire finds the adaptation visually inventive but emotionally distant. She singles out its theatrical staging as striking, while noting that the film’s formal flourishes can keep viewers at a remove.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/anna-karenina)

## Slant Magazine — Andrew Schenker

Rating 2.5/4. 9 November 2012. 

Schenker finds the film engrossing and literate despite its overbearing visual ambitions. He praises Keira Knightley’s portrayal of Anna’s passion and despair, while criticizing the theatrical staging as a distracting gimmick.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/anna-karenina-6674/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2012. 

Bradshaw finds the adaptation bold and creative but not wholly successful, saying its theatrical style sometimes feels uneven. He praises Keira Knightley’s subtle performance and the film’s moving flower-filled meadow tableau.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/sep/05/anna-karenina-review-keira-knightley)

## Time Out — Guy Lodge

Rating 3/5. 4 September 2012. 

The critic's verdict cannot be established from the accessible page. No specific praise or complaint is available because the review text is missing.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/anna-karenina-3)

## Variety — Leslie Felperin

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2012. 

Felperin finds the film formally inspired and technically glorious, though its chilly tone and less sympathetic lovers blunt its emotional impact. She especially praises the richly detailed production design and costumes.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2012/film/markets-festivals/anna-karenina-1117948172/)

## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael

Rating 2/5. 

The review finds Knightley commendable but says the director’s conspicuous style upstages her. It singles out Wright’s attention-seeking direction as the film’s main weakness.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6xoedo/anna-karenina/)

## Total Film — Neil Smith

Rating 2/5. 3 September 2012. 

Smith finds the film ponderously artificial and self-regarding, with its theatrical concept keeping the story at arm’s length. He criticizes the distracting stagecraft and the abrupt shifts between theatrical and conventional presentation.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/anna-karenina-1-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2012. 

Sharkey finds the film visually stunning and beautifully acted, but ultimately difficult to enjoy. She particularly praises the production design, costumes and choreography, while faulting their artifice for competing with the actors’ emotional performances.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-nov-15-la-et-mn-anna-karenina-review-20121116-story.html)

## Evening Standard

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2012. 

The critic calls the adaptation a failed experiment, arguing that its theatrical staging makes Tolstoy’s realist novel feel artificial. They praise parts of the casting and find Levin and Kitty’s romance touching, especially in the scenes outdoors.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/anna-karenina-review-8104347.html)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2018. 

Edelstein calls the film a boldly original miscalculation, arguing its theatrical style distances viewers from the story’s emotions. He singles out Jude Law’s restrained performance as a welcome respite amid the overstated acting and staging.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2012/11/movie-review-anna-karenina.html)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2012. 

Brody pans Joe Wright’s adaptation as a shallow, impersonal rendering that misses Tolstoy’s depth. He singles out Alicia Vikander’s spontaneous performance as the film’s one genuine strength.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/an-anna-karenina-that-forgets-tolstoy)

## Paste — Annlee Ellingson

Rating 8.2/10. 26 November 2012. 

Ellingson finds Wright’s adaptation challenging and rapturous once its theatrical approach clicks. She praises its kinetic, fluid production design and visually inventive transitions.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/anna-karenina)

## HeyUGuys — Lisa Giles-Keddie

Rating 4/5. 7 September 2012. 

The critic finds Joe Wright’s adaptation a gripping, emotionally forceful and visually bold reimagining, though its theatrical style may divide viewers. She praises Keira Knightley’s performance and notes Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s comparatively stale delivery as a weakness.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/anna-karenina-review/)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 

The headline presents the film as a mostly thrilling, inventive reimagining. It singles out its bold approach to the classic as a strength.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-anna-karenina-is-a-bold-reimagining-of-a-classic-thats-mostly-thrilling-inventive-20120902/)

## Den of Geek — David Crow

Rating C+. 30 November 2012. 

Crow finds the film visually inventive and its performances strong, but says its theatrical design keeps the story emotionally distant. He especially praises Keira Knightley’s focused portrayal of Anna.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/anna-karenina-review/)

## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2012. 

Wilkinson finds the film beautiful and brave, but says it fails to realise its potential. She praises Jacqueline Durran’s costumes for reflecting Anna’s emotional state and helping Keira Knightley’s performance blossom.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/anna-karenina-2012-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating 7.5 out of 10. 7 September 2012. Festival review. 

Goldberg finds the film visually mesmerizing but emotionally cold, saying Wright’s direction overwhelms the story. He praises the theater-based staging and its playful transitions, while faulting the central romance for lacking convincing emotional weight.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/anna-karenina-review/)

## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael

Rating 2/5. 2 September 2012. 

Papamichael finds the adaptation visually striking but exasperating and dull, with its theatrical flourishes getting in the way of Tolstoy’s emotional force. She praises Knightley for finding humanity in Anna’s difficult, emotionally led character.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a400838/anna-karenina-review-digital-spy-verdict/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2012. 

The critic finds Wright’s theatrical staging emotionally distancing and ultimately unsuccessful. Knightley and Law are praised for their performances, while Taylor-Johnson is singled out as the weak link.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/anna-karenina-review-lavish-film-gets-lost-old-decaying-staging-65261/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/anna-karenina.md