Worth watching, but suffers from being a propaganda film

Rating: 7/10 (1 December 2016)

A lot of people note that director Sergei Eisenstein was ahead of his time with his 'film montage' technique, used so effectively in the massacre scene on the steps of Odessa, but it should also be noted that he captures brilliant images throughout this movie. It's certainly worth watching as a result, and is probably a must for students of film. However, what undoubtedly stirred emotions in 1925 – possibly sympathy for the communist movement, or fear of inciting revolutionary thoughts given the mutiny that takes place on the Potemkin, or squeamishness at the moments of violence (all of which contributed to the film being banned in many countries, including the Soviet Union!) – is less impactful ninety years later. It also suffers for being a propaganda film, with less nuance in its characters and plot.