Films to see

Catherine the Great is a relatively well handled historical film, "relatively" being the important word.

The most obvious strong point of this film is acting. There are lots of great actors, and they are showing the viewers all they've got. (In the other sense of the word as well. Even though there is not much real nudity, there are numerous sex scenes featuring a lot of naked skin, which parents should keep in mind.) Unfortunately, good acting reveals how asymmetrical the other aspects of the film are. Some really well acted scenes don't have the structural support they deserve, and as a result these scenes are not as strong as they should be. This is probably caused by the fact that the story progresses at an excessively fast pace, meaning that there can't be that much attention to detail.

Nonetheless, Catherine the Great offers some other - though minor - strong points. At a few occasions, the narrative gets support from other layers of the film, or there are a few nicely shot scenes and one particularly memorable line. The verdict? Top quality performances might provide a good enough reason to watch it. Just make sure to turn if off as soon as the film is over because the end credits are accompanied by a song that manages to spoil the mood completely.