In other words, it's an attempt to portray three hundred hears of Russian history in one breath. Going into the movie, I was wondering if it would be a gimmicky movie, but as it turns out, the movie is simply incredible. Having said that, I did have extraordinary difficulty following the movie at times. Not because the plot was too convoluted, but rather because my knowledge of Russian history is so poor. Most of the historical figures that the movie runs into I've heard about, but only that. I don't know the little historical stories they're portraying, so it was a bit confusing for me. The movie only really described a one or two of the stories inside of its plot in any detail.

That complaint aside, I have no doubt if the movie focused on American history, I would have been floored throughout the picture, unable to find words for how beautiful it is. As it is, for me the movie was simply a very grandiose ride through an amazing beautiful set.

After I watched the movie, I watched a behind the scenes documentary that talked a bit about the history involved. If you're like me and don't know the history, I'd recommend watching this bit first, even though it shows good chunks of the movie, then watch the movie. Hopefully then, you'll be able to properly enjoy the movie. If, on the other hand, you have a good grasp of Russian history, then I highly recommend this movie.