I'll be honest—there are so many Catherine the Great movies and series out there you lose track. They all end up telling the same story, just with a different lead. I've seen the pseudo‑historical ones with Y. Snigir, M. Alexandrovna, and E. Boyarskaya.

To me, Snigir was the most convincing Catherine, but the most complete series—starting with the princess's arrival in Russia and ending with the empress's death—was the one with Alexandrovna. I kept wondering why they'd make another film that tells the exact same story. I wouldn't have bought a ticket, but it popped up in my recommendations, so I gave it a quick look.

The runtime is about an hour and forty minutes.

Just like every other Catherine drama, the 2024 film—titled “Catherine the Great”—opens with the young German princess stepping onto Russian soil, greeted by Empress Elizabeth (played by Y. Peresild).

From there it follows her rise to the throne and her push to turn Russia into an enlightened, cutting‑edge nation that the world would respect.

The movie touches on:

Liquidation of the Zaporozhian SichPugachev’s rebellionWar with the TurksTrip to CrimeaIt also highlights the results of her reign—advances in science, culture, industry, and administrative reforms—as well as her family dynamics and famous lovers, Potemkin and Orlov. Actors

The 2024 production boasts A. Mikhalkova, Y. Peresild, V. Dobronravov, E. Kharitonov and O. Lerman.

Catherine herself is played by three different actresses, covering her youth, adulthood, and later years.

Casting O. Lerman as the adult Catherine threw me for a loop. The real empress was famously robust, yet Lerman is very slender. Plus, textbooks always note that Catherine was already fluent in Russian when she ascended, but Lerman delivers her lines with a noticeable accent, even though her character had been on the throne for years.

A. Mikhalkova turned out to be a better pick for a mature, older Catherine. Still, her speech and diction feel off—she sounds more like a rustic country girl than an educated, cultured empress.

The rest of the cast did okay, but honestly they barely got any screen time, let alone lines.

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Basically, this 2024 release feels like a documentary starring well‑known movie actors – think of the 2013 “Romanovs” or the 2019 “Rurikids”. It's broken into bite‑size scenes, each followed by commentary from historians, cultural scholars, and officials.

Costumes and sets are top‑notch. The wigs, though, could've been better. Still, the film really drags you into the era, and the battle sequences are impressive. It looks like they didn’t skimp on the budget.

There are moments when the actors just stand there in silence, marching majestically or staring into the distance. In those bits, a voice‑over steps in, delivering the key info in a concise way. The narration is pleasant—clear, deep, and commanding.

The cinematography works for a documentary, but feels a bit weak for a drama. I struggled to grab screenshots of the actors because their faces are often hidden in shadow or never get a close‑up.

I really liked the animated segments. You can tell they started with full‑on live‑action footage and later turned it into a cartoon style.

Sometimes the film splices in graphics—portraits of historical figures and maps. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed the variety.My impressions

After watching, I felt like I'd just gone through an interactive history textbook. Nothing really new—everything was stuff I'd already read in books about famous women in history or seen in other movies about her.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat was new for me was the take on how Catherine got disillusioned with the Enlightenment ideal after the peasant uprising, and why she handed so many privileges to the nobility.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe first half still felt like a regular drama with actors, with occasional commentary from historians. I wasn’t a fan of that part—the actors carried most of the weight, and I just didn’t like their performances.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe second half—once Catherine’s on the throne—sped up a lot, added more voice‑over and animated inserts. It felt like the kind of video teachers could actually show their students.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nOf course, the film paints Catherine in an all‑positive light. It skips over most of her lovers. The chilly relationship with her son is framed as a fair empress trying to prep Paul for rule, while the stubborn boy just doesn’t appreciate it.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter watching, I get why they made it. Sure, it leaves out a lot of important episodes from Catherine’s life, but it does cover the key points of her reign in decent detail. You can’t call it uninformative.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe biggest plus of the 2024 ‘Catherine the Great’ movie? It’s the shortest take on the empress—just an hour and a half instead of dozens of episodes. No need to slog through long series with endless side plots to learn about her.