Whilst a lot of documentary series include dramatised segments, this very much feels like a drama series that intermittently gets interrupted by documentary moments. It's an unusual format, but I got used to it very quickly. It knits together well and I didn't feel that one style of presenting the narrative was encroaching upon the other. They complement each other effectively to give insight into a period of history that, I have realised, I didn't know as much about as I first imagined.
Minor point. Other reviewers have questioned Nicholas having a dragon tattoo. It's actually historically accurate. He got it on a trip to Japan before he became Czar.
162 Reviews
Could have been better!
ronaldalamascus-905063 August 2019
Why is Netflix is so obsessed with unnecessary sex scenes that adds nothing to the story?! The format was fine with me of having interjections of context along the the story as was the mediocre acting skills. The lavish production and costumes were great and reminded us of many sights and sites we saw while in Russia. As to historical accuracy, no one should ever rely on or expect historical accuracy in productions of this type. But the series certainly did paint an accurate picture of the mood that existed in Russia at that time and the precursors to the ultimate death of the Czar as well as the end of the political structure and of course, the rise of Communism. We know what sex looks like though Netflix, so enough already!
Sumptuous but strangely lacking
jyatesnewyork3 July 2019
This historical docuseries swings away at the story of Nicholas and Alexandra, their children, and the mad monk Rasputin (played with gusto and some sort of wild Cockney accent by British actor Ben Cartwright). It has tons and tons of sparkle and glitz, but it's missing heart. You are not going to become terribly involved with Czar Nicholas or the family's tragic story. There are some great photos taken during the time period, and even some film clips. This adds interest. However, that and the glamorous costumes are not enough to save this series. I suggest watching the film "Nicholas and Alexandra" instead, or perhaps reading Robert Massie's book about the fall of the Romanovs, "Nicholas and Alexandra". Grade: C
average serie
Kirpianuscus30 July 2019
I admit, after its end, many frustrations are too fresh in my case. It can be defined as average serie. But the Romanovs deserves more than a too subjective history lesson, putting at the wall people out of their historical context. It is a sketch, not an inspired one. And this represents the basic error. The second big mistakes - the actors. Few are good and their acting represents what you expect. The majority... . Maybe, not their fault but the desire to give a panorama and to explain to much, from high subjectivity level. Short, maybe, an average serie. In my case,
Could have been good, but decided to be average
ShaunV19905 July 2019
The problem with "The Last Czars" is that the creators couldn't decide on what they wanted this series to be. So instead of making a decision, they tried everything, and by doing this, they only succeeded in achieving mediocrity. The whole thing just missed some heart.
What they did wrong: * You make it into a drama-historical serie or into a docu-serie. Both together work against each other. You lose all the momentum when you cut to historical narrators who give context to the story.
* English accents in a very Russian enviroment doesn't work for me.
* Dialogue missed depth. Had the hardest time getting invested in the Romanov's.
*Visual effects were very poor (few shots of explosions, ships or train were not up to standards)
The good: * Historical correct! Costumes, sets were absolutely on point.
* A great story that needed to be told, but deserved a better translation.
In the end, if production would have been comparable to "The Crown", this would have been a great succes. Missed opportunity, what a shame! Nevertheless I watched the whole serie in two days. If you are interested in this kind of historical facts, this serie really deliver on historical facts. So I would still recommend watching it.
What they did wrong: * You make it into a drama-historical serie or into a docu-serie. Both together work against each other. You lose all the momentum when you cut to historical narrators who give context to the story.
* English accents in a very Russian enviroment doesn't work for me.
* Dialogue missed depth. Had the hardest time getting invested in the Romanov's.
*Visual effects were very poor (few shots of explosions, ships or train were not up to standards)
The good: * Historical correct! Costumes, sets were absolutely on point.
* A great story that needed to be told, but deserved a better translation.
In the end, if production would have been comparable to "The Crown", this would have been a great succes. Missed opportunity, what a shame! Nevertheless I watched the whole serie in two days. If you are interested in this kind of historical facts, this serie really deliver on historical facts. So I would still recommend watching it.
Pretty good
jessicad2410 July 2019
Maybe an unpopular opinion in light of some of the other reviews here, but I actually liked the combination of drama/acting and documentary. It allowed me to understand the history better in simple terms, as well as see how some things that the historians described might have played out. As a history teacher myself, I believe history should be told like a story. I think they did a pretty good job of that.
And for anyone who wonders why the actor playing the czar has a tattoo and why it wasn't covered up for the role....Czar Nicholas actually did have a big dragon tattoo on his right forearm. That is historically accurate.
And for anyone who wonders why the actor playing the czar has a tattoo and why it wasn't covered up for the role....Czar Nicholas actually did have a big dragon tattoo on his right forearm. That is historically accurate.
I Enjoyed it, But...
lanaliliya10 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There were a few things that bothered me. The actors portraying Nicholas II, Alix, and the tzars mother looked nothing like them. I get it's hard to find actors who look exactly like them, but come on these actors were not even in the same ball park. I may have gotten spoiled with watching The Crown and that show did a great job with casting.
Also, this show has British accents throughout, but in some parts of the show there were people speaking Russian. Like the scene where the priest was at their imprisonment home. It just seems strange to have some characters speaking Russian and then the rest are speaking in a British accent.
Another thing, I skipped over a lot of the sex scenes, because they were just uncomfortable to watch. Especially the ones with Rasputin.
Also, this show has British accents throughout, but in some parts of the show there were people speaking Russian. Like the scene where the priest was at their imprisonment home. It just seems strange to have some characters speaking Russian and then the rest are speaking in a British accent.
Another thing, I skipped over a lot of the sex scenes, because they were just uncomfortable to watch. Especially the ones with Rasputin.
I loved it - history class on steroids
esme-355654 July 2019
I'm surprised a lot of reviewers are not a fan of the commentary in between scenes. I however, loved this combination. I am a fan of history and when watching historical series or films I tend to google while watching because a lot of questions pop up in my head. This time I didn't need to do that, because all I ever wanted to know was told and explained in the series.
I think they created the right atmosphere and the music at the beginning is perfect to set the tone.
I watched all episodes in one go and was sad when I had finished them. Great acting as well. The historians in the series were perfectly cast by the way, they were really telling the story with emotion. This was a history class on steroids. Well done!
I think they created the right atmosphere and the music at the beginning is perfect to set the tone.
I watched all episodes in one go and was sad when I had finished them. Great acting as well. The historians in the series were perfectly cast by the way, they were really telling the story with emotion. This was a history class on steroids. Well done!
Pros and Cons
VintageSoul5613 March 2020
I liked this docuseries. I found out things that I hadn't known before. I liked the intermingling of the re enactment, historian's narration and the old footage films. I thought that Susanna Herbert resembled and played the part of the Czarina very well. I think that she portrayed Alix as a very overwrought, protective mother that Alix must have been. Very over the edge about her son's illness because hemophilia came from her side of the family. These people really thought that they ruled ordained by God. That's what was wrong with many royal houses over many centuries. The rest of the acting by the cast was fine.
What I didn't like about the series was the constant swearing. These were deeply religious people and I don't see the Imperial family using f bombs and other language. I see Rasputin because he was a course man and soldiers doing that because that's what a lot of soldiers do. But, in general this kind of language did not need to be in this series. The sexual scenes and nudity did not need to be in it either. Why? The royal couple, really? Rasputin wasn't a surprise, but could have been handled differently. The orgy scene was overdone. The last were the British accents, especially, Ben Cartwright as Rasputin. He captured him fine, but the East End accent should have been traded in for a Russian one, as all of the characters should have done. That's poor directing. There were some British actors who did supplied a Russian accent and one who supplied a Swiss accent. It should have been consistent.
What I didn't like about the series was the constant swearing. These were deeply religious people and I don't see the Imperial family using f bombs and other language. I see Rasputin because he was a course man and soldiers doing that because that's what a lot of soldiers do. But, in general this kind of language did not need to be in this series. The sexual scenes and nudity did not need to be in it either. Why? The royal couple, really? Rasputin wasn't a surprise, but could have been handled differently. The orgy scene was overdone. The last were the British accents, especially, Ben Cartwright as Rasputin. He captured him fine, but the East End accent should have been traded in for a Russian one, as all of the characters should have done. That's poor directing. There were some British actors who did supplied a Russian accent and one who supplied a Swiss accent. It should have been consistent.
These negative reviews do not appreciate the need for historical details!
hannabachjoseph5 July 2019
While I understand the frequent scholarly interruptions may produce a less slick viewing experience, the historical interjections are completely necessary to understand the motivations and actions during this period of history. A sterile, Disney movie could have been produced I suppose, but the university scholars and authors make this series credible and closer to the historical record. The acting is not A grade, but it is more than competent to tell this story. The costumes are excellent.
Take this series for the great history it reveals folks!
Entertaining but a flawed format
davidcollins-670129 October 2021
I have just rewatched the series after having watched it when it was first released. Whilst I thought the basic historical events were covered, a lot was glossed over in favour of overly dramatic commentary by the historical experts. As someone who has studied the topic and read all the usual books on the subject, I feel more could have been included, such as the many relations across Europe the coupe had, the relationships between kaiser wilhelm II and the family (a cousin of both Nicholas and Alexandra) , and the rescinded offer of sanctuary by king George V of Great Britain (also a first cousin to both Nicholas and Alexandra)
The script I felt lacked any real depth and was one dimensional.
What I would say is that contrary to many reviews I did not have a problem with the British accents, which I felt were appropriate, as many royal families employed English nannies for their children at this time, and English for many would have been spoken in the nursery. Indeed, the real Alexandra and Nicholas corresponded in English, and Alexandra herself, spent much of her childhood in England, as she was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
I thought the costumes were ok, but more could have been done with historical accuracy ( not one picture hat for Alexandra?) Overall a good effort though, would recommend as an introduction to the story.
What I would say is that contrary to many reviews I did not have a problem with the British accents, which I felt were appropriate, as many royal families employed English nannies for their children at this time, and English for many would have been spoken in the nursery. Indeed, the real Alexandra and Nicholas corresponded in English, and Alexandra herself, spent much of her childhood in England, as she was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
I thought the costumes were ok, but more could have been done with historical accuracy ( not one picture hat for Alexandra?) Overall a good effort though, would recommend as an introduction to the story.
I am super impressed!
orchid77677 July 2019
This several-part series is a hybrid: it's part historical drama, part documentary. Just when you begin getting engrossed in the story, in pop the experts who were interviewed for the series. Fascinating whether you've a passing or an enthusiast's gothic interest in the Romanovs and the last czar and czarina of Russia. It's a tragic story, forever elevated to romantic status in the telling of the history of it. What's staying with me at the moment is something one of the aforementioned experts said (paraphrased) in the first episode: 'The czar was expected to be all things, and no one alive was reasonably qualified for that job, nor could be expected to meet every impossibly lofty expectation laid before the czar.' In short: a tremendous amount of pressure, and if you think contemporary politics is rough-going - with each side never fully happy - then wait'll you see this!
A weird amalgamation that just doesn't work
tamarahmk24 July 2019
If History and Netflix had a love child
catdogmanfish22 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
On one hand this is very richly filmed, on the other hand do we really need this much swearing and sexual activity? Don't get me wrong, history can be really raw and brutal but holy cow man, tone it down a bit. It's almost like Netflix is saying "this isn't exciting enough, have that Russian noble say "F#&#" to the Empepror of Russia, repeatedly. We're not driving home the emperor and empress trying to conceive an heir, let's show every attempt, also Rasputin is a horn dog, let's beat that dead horse. Netflix does great work but I feel they go out of their way to be edgy and show they go beyond everyone else and that hinders this production.
Annoying to watch
aromy-942833 July 2019
Docu-what?
craziixx4 July 2019
I don't understand what style this series is going for. It would've been fine as a docu-drama series, but the strange narration interrupting often throws it way off. I appreciated the history shared, even if it did interrupt the storyline. If you can get over that aspect of the show, it's pretty good.
It's good!could have been better...
danybaharian3 July 2019
I just reached episode 3 of these series,i had the urge to write my commentary early on;the acting is fairly good,the historical accuracy is also good...the fact that there is commentary between scenes is kind of annoying,throws you of balance from mood to mood which also kind of kills the consistency of the characters,and weakens the overall feel of the series,I wish it was different specially with that kind of material,this is one of the greatest mystical stories of the 20st century, it should have had the alienist and dark's tone and intensity...the actor portraying rasputin is arguably best there is to lead in this role,but the actor portraying nicholas is not made for that part as he failed to convince that he is indeed a sitting czar...the good thing is that the whole work is entertaining and educational!it would have gotten a 10 rating if they took it more seriously,knowing that they could be done wonders with that story...it gets an 8
Jarring
kristinbauer113 July 2019
It could have been a great concept but they overuse the commentary to describe what we are already seeing on screen. One can only cut away in this manner when it's ADDED information. But they will cut to a woman saying something like "he really loves her" when we were just watching him actually loving her. "there were mobs" as we were watching mobs. It's irritating to have what we are seeing described!!! ADDING historical information we can't see, Or historical footage is helpful! If it's redundant its annoying and jarring. So 25% of it was maddening. Its an editing script problem.
Unusual format I haven't seen before. Could have been better. I want more!
mosenewbell25 August 2019
Wow. Just finished watching. What is up with these negative reviews? Where are they coming from? You are seriously going to 1 star because of a nitpick or misunderstanding of what you thought you were going to see? Please stop throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Yes, there are historical discrepancies. Yes, a lot of history was skimmed over. Yes, there is nudity. Yes there is cursing (It's rated TV-MA!), Yes the "bad guys" / "good guys" and who was at fault are all very, very debatable.... but angry history buffs, prudes, and people with emotional ties to the politics be damned. I liked this. I liked this a lot. It got me interested in the history of the era, and curious to understand of both sides of the conflict and why they did what they did.
Obviously the series could have been better if it had covered more of the timeline before and after, more accurately represented the individuals involved, and delved more in to the rational of all the key players. If you are going to switch between documentary/commentary back to the drama, you need to pay more attention to the accuracy of the era you are in.
Acting and production where terrific. Hope to see more like this in the future!
Yes, there are historical discrepancies. Yes, a lot of history was skimmed over. Yes, there is nudity. Yes there is cursing (It's rated TV-MA!), Yes the "bad guys" / "good guys" and who was at fault are all very, very debatable.... but angry history buffs, prudes, and people with emotional ties to the politics be damned. I liked this. I liked this a lot. It got me interested in the history of the era, and curious to understand of both sides of the conflict and why they did what they did.
Obviously the series could have been better if it had covered more of the timeline before and after, more accurately represented the individuals involved, and delved more in to the rational of all the key players. If you are going to switch between documentary/commentary back to the drama, you need to pay more attention to the accuracy of the era you are in.
Acting and production where terrific. Hope to see more like this in the future!
Why russians are so upset ?
AnotherPlumbus6 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I don't understand all the negative comments from the russians. I am russian and this story was very well told. Nicholai was incompetent tsar that didn't wanted to get involved in anything. From the key points of history it's very accurate. Who cares about British accents ? If you know better why don't you film a legit documentary in your own home country, oh wait...nobody gonna spend precious rubbles on it...Acting is fantastic, captivating. Very accurate Rasputin. About the tattoos, who cares, I noticed that too. Actor did fantastic job, just look pass the little fluke with the makeup in just few shots...Too much sex and it's frustrating. I don't understand why there is such a strong push on it. Just because of that the doc is kind of ruined for me.
Great docu-series!!
sammy-591545 July 2019
Bad start, better ending
schappe116 February 2020
Like many i was put off by the obviously English accents and the totally unnecessary sex scenes in the beginning of this retelling of the "Nicholas and Alexandra" tale but it got better as it went along. There were no surprises if you've seen this dramatized before or read a couple of books on the subject, as I have. But I felt Ben Cartwright, (yes, that's his name) made an excellent Rasputin, not a drunken madman but a very careful and charming schemer. Jack Robert and Susanna Herbert did well as the Czar and Czarina and the sequences after the abdication were well done. The documentary sequences were good but I'd like to have seen more of them, perhaps as part of a full documentary on the subject.
My biggest disappointment was that it failed to live up to it's plural title. the story of the last Czars actually begins with Nicholas' grandfather, Alexander II, who has been compared to Abraham Lincoln, his exact contemporary, because he freed Russia's serfs as Lincoln freed the slaves. He made many other reforms, regarded as liberal at the time. The impact of this was to give people hope but it also gave them impatience which in turn caused some to turn on the Czar, blaming him for the slow pace of the reforms and limits put on them. The most radical elements decided to assassinate him and, after several attempts, succeeded in 1881. Seeing him on his deathbed, his legs blown apart by a bomb hardened the attitudes of his son, who became Alexander III and his grandson, who succeeded his father in 1894. Their hard-line stance, in turn, only produced more contempt as Russian society split apart along class lines. the revolution almost came in 1905 but in the wake of an unsuccessful war, it finally occurred in 1917 and doomed Nicholas and his family. That entire story should have been told and it was what I expected from "The Last Czars".
My biggest disappointment was that it failed to live up to it's plural title. the story of the last Czars actually begins with Nicholas' grandfather, Alexander II, who has been compared to Abraham Lincoln, his exact contemporary, because he freed Russia's serfs as Lincoln freed the slaves. He made many other reforms, regarded as liberal at the time. The impact of this was to give people hope but it also gave them impatience which in turn caused some to turn on the Czar, blaming him for the slow pace of the reforms and limits put on them. The most radical elements decided to assassinate him and, after several attempts, succeeded in 1881. Seeing him on his deathbed, his legs blown apart by a bomb hardened the attitudes of his son, who became Alexander III and his grandson, who succeeded his father in 1894. Their hard-line stance, in turn, only produced more contempt as Russian society split apart along class lines. the revolution almost came in 1905 but in the wake of an unsuccessful war, it finally occurred in 1917 and doomed Nicholas and his family. That entire story should have been told and it was what I expected from "The Last Czars".
It seems historical correct
frankhenneick-749733 July 2019
However, the scenes shot are not really good! Unfortunately the dialogues do not convince! Instead of gleaming halfway with dialogues that give the story a depth, the authors are just using too many platitudes! Even the actors are almost bored in most of the scenes! A pity, that could have been something great!
The lack of historical competence is... amazing.
vladimirindyukov4 July 2019
Just an example to give you the level of expertise in this film.
Caption says "Moscow, 4th of February 1905". The video on the background is a Red Square WITH FREAKING LENIN'S MAUSOLEUM taking 50% of the screen. Come on guys, this is too much even for US grade B series.
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