Strictly average movie

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Onegin is a wonderful character film about a pompous and refined nobleman who in the end falls hard for a woman he rejected. The film draws you into the romance story while also managing to criticize aspects of social norms in society. The main characters in the story are Onegin and Tatyana, who are so strong that there is no need for over the top battle scenes, or elaborate film devices. They carry themselves and the film along and it is amazing to see them change before your eyes. Both these characters are completely ahead of their time. They exude modern day attitudes with the unfortunate fate of being trapped in a 19th century noble world. For example, Tatyana (the female lead) is the one who takes the initiative in the relationship! I was expecting a typical "man falls for and chases girl" scene, as is common in most period films, but instead I got a completely different and pleasant surprise when she approaches Onegin. Even in today's freer and more women friendly society, you hardly ever see a woman taking the initiative in a romance film. Onegin himself has this cool slightly rebellious attitude that is common to today's strong silent type personality. He seems to want to do things on his terms despite the social norms, but at the same time seems to be unable to escape them. He is the quintessential "superfluous man" who is at odds with his society and so despite his cockiness you find yourself sympathizing with him. Both characters don't completely fit their society, yet they are caught in that universe. Although this film takes place in Russia, I feel it expresses universal feelings and critiques about lifestyle choices, society, and fitting in. Fans of Russian literature will find this film particularly charming as the story is based on a novel by Alexander Pushkin, the "Shakespeare of Russia." His ideals and story translate well, but for those unfamiliar with his work the film stands strong on its own. It begs questions like: how much can I go against society, without becoming an outcast? Is it better to just go with the flow or be the only one fighting against it? You can see the character's plight in film, and can make the viewer wonder about their own choices too. The second half of the film will you make awe as Onegin returns with a new perspective, yet ends up with consequences that will make your heart sink. You will find yourself asking "what will happen?" throughout the whole second half. The only thing that sort of lacked in film, was that at times I would forget that it was taking place in Russia. The film has an overall "British drama" feel to it, especially with a cast of mainly British actors. Perhaps more Russian scenery or Russian actors or even Russian accents may have helped this issue. Other than that this the film was splendid. Overall the film is charming and captivating. Personally, I tend to shy away from slower paced films, and I wasn't sure about it in the beginning, but I ended up completely immersed in the story by the end. The characters and story are so real that one can easily relate to their turmoil. And the story, though simple, brings up great points, questions, and overall critical views of society's ways. Great characters, and story. I'll definitely be watching it again!

A story about love and its fragility. In which Pushkin is more than a old passing writer but author of life pieces drawing. Told by great actors, show of details and nuances, it preserves the soul of novel and create a kind of spring music. Delicate, subtle and sad. Invitation to discover the Russian literature, romantic slice of a time - seed of our, Onegin is one of this movies - key for feelings, expectations and searches lost for many people. Ralph Fiennes is perfect Onegin, in the shadows of angst and empty existence, behind deep sentiments and pray of Tatyana charm. And Liv Tyler is a very interesting character , creation of looks , games and silence. At first sight, a cocktail between BBC productions and Michalkov. In fact, only precise art of Martha Fiennes. And a impressive result.

actually a comedy.the original title was 'a day late and a dollar short', after a Hollywood bigwig was rummaging thru the studio archives and stumbled on an old 3 stooges script and decided the modern treatment would be to come up with another in a string of feinnes pieces passed off as a costume drama.the costumes were supposed to be clown costumes but since there was a glut of personnel and makeup artists doing stuff like 'sense and sensibility' it was decided to snazzy it up a bit.so they came up with this square peg in a round hole approach and once again, shopped around for who would fit the bill re 'when yer hot yer hot, when yer not yer not' and the names feinnes and liv deary came up.was this before or after those dreadful LOTR sequels of sequels where she hardly says anything? was this in her 'on the way up' or 'on the way down' phase of her film career? she was fairly good in 'inventing the abbots' but that's because she was at her peter principle level of highest competence. not so this vehicle. more like a vehicle hit by a train called reality of what you get with mediocre but much ballyhooed actors. aka 'hype hype hype' some sort of pep rally cry suitable for a high school football team. not suitable for a story that's been around this long.at least we don't have to hold our breath waiting for yet another version in this century; anyone else who may have contemplated it in another life was surely convinced the odds were not good since ms tyler and mr feinnes showed just how bad the pooch can be screwed by not getting suitable actors.you think I'm kidding about the day late and a dollar short theme? I counted at least 3 of them without trying: the dinner, the duel and the 'bitter sweet' (emphasis on bitter like the taste of stale beer) closing scene. I am so glad DVD player manufacturers perfected that feature you can speed up the playback and still hear the voice track at the original frequency, it just comes out in a rapid fire clipped manner. that cuts down the boredom until those blessed end credits envelope this symbol of the downfall of a frivolous life.I'm talking about the lead actors careers, not the characters in the story.

**** CONTAINS A possible SPOILER for those who have not read the book ****I remember back in school we were doing silly projects like Cinderella in the style of Kurasava, or as an action movie. This movie is something like that. And although I could not exactly pinpoint of what exactly, but it's definitely Onegin in the style of something. Don't get me wrong - the movie has it's strong points - Liv is as pleasant to look at as anywhere else... What "made" the film for me, and still is the defining (only) moment I remember is the duel scene, where <SPOILER> the bullet is shown to hit Lensky's head and his brains fan out from the other side in a VERY slow motion </SPOILER>.But what can make this film from a mere "painless 5" into an "unforgettable 11", is if you speak Russian, and have read (memorized) the original, get a Russian version, which instead of just reading Pushkin is dubbed with synchro translation of the English dialog back into Russian. It's truly hilarious.