Anna Karenina~ the movie ~ Interesting adaptation, but so distracting

I was so excited to see this movie, imagining the incredible visuals, cinematographic genius and beautiful costumes, aside from a good story.

http://www.focusfeatures.com/anna_karenina/

Joe Wright did an amazing and interesting job of adapting Tolstoy's novel and Tom Stoppard did a good job on the screenplay.  The story was interesting and engaging, tense and passionate.  Unfortunately, the theatrical and "artsy" way Wright approached the movie and its final editing, while being intense and new, was incredibly distracting and often times annoying.

I almost turned the movie off at least 5 times during the first 20 minutes, wanting to salvage the rest of my preciously small free time and watch something more engaging.  However, the story would suck me back in and I would forgive the distraction, only to want to turn it off again.  In the end, I stuck it out and was simultaneously awed and irritated by his non-traditional approach and what I interpret as a nod to the theatre, late 1800's Russian theatre, I assume.

Great concept, but as evidenced by the gap between rotten tomatoes critics vs audience rating, I think that the director's artistic ambition has allowed him to stray too far away from what is enjoyable to the majority of the normal audience.  And in film, more than any other art, the audience is the most important person, the film, after all, is made for them.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anna_karenina_2012/

Okay, okay, so the gap is only 10ish percent, but what the hell did any of you love so much about the damn movie???