I liked Francesca da Rimini, and it seems to me that much of the criticism about it from other reviewers ignores Possokhov's intentions. He is not retelling Dante's story as a ballet. This is not "Romeo and Juliet in Hell." The much-maligned Guardians are not mere "menacing body builders." They are powerful and brilliant symbols of Possokhov's vision, which he clearly states derives as much from Rodin and the visual arts as from Dante and Tchaikovsky. As for the ballet being "overwrought," the score is "overwrought": blame Tchaikovsky, not Possokhov, who captures the menace in the score admirably.
This is not a ballet about falling in love over a book. It's about going to Hell in movement and music. One may find that subject unpleasant, but one can't fault Possokhov for exploring it. And how could anyone expect a choreographer to imagine a major character in this work as a cripple, and who would want to watch a dancer be wasted in such a role? No one who saw Daniel Deivison's portrayal of chilling revenge and unrepentance would want Giovanni to be cast as a cripple. If one accepts this ballet on its own terms, it's a great work. Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty are not the limits of how a choreographer can legitimately imagine Tchaikovsky's music.