The film received positive reviews from critics, although some reviewers found it to be slow and difficult to sit through. "Alexandra" has an approval rating of 88% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 59 reviews, and an average rating of 7.49/10.The website's critical consensus states, "At once ethereal and tangible, Aleksandr Sokurov's humane Chechen War drama features a spectacular turn by opera star Galina Vishnevskay". Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 85 out of 100, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".