OK, so before I start, I just want to say some things for those who care or who are stupid enough to believe the contrary based on popular opinion:
1. Just because a movie bombs at the box office, it doesn't mean the movie is automatically terrible and that you should stay away from it. In it's broadest sense, a box office bomb just means that the film didn't gain enough interest, was the victim of poor marketing or went up in competition against more popular films in the theatres. It just happens that a lot of box office bombs and in this case, 47 Ronin was up against the likes of The Hobbit 2 and The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a shame because in some ways it is better than the CGI fest that is The Desolation of Smaug.
2. Keanu Reeves is not a bad actor!!!! The only people that ever say that are only saying it because they can't get over his comedic performances in the Bill and Ted franchise. Get over it and stop hating on the guy. He has an incredibly stoic and intense charisma that makes him very good to watch. It's just a shame that people think of that charisma as wooden. Granted, he has had bad performances, but he has emerged a very fine actor.
3. Just because a white guy features in a predominantly Japanese movie based on Japanese history, it doesn't mean that film is racist. In fact, I found that Keanu Reeves serves very well to represent our westernised eye in the story as a put-upon outcast since the film is obviously marketed to the average western audience.
Anyway, those are some common criticisms that have been directed at this movie. 47 Ronin is a surprisingly good action movie with some very impressive fight sequences, although it does have it's flaws as with any movie. So let's dive in. The film mainly concerns a band of samurai that seek vengeance against the people that drove them out of their land. They recruit Kai (Keanu Reeves), a "half-breed" who is treated like a bit of a second class citizen. What follows is the 47 Ronin's journey to vanquish their enemies.
The main strength that the movie has is it's action sequences. They are very well done and seeing Keanu take on the role of a samurai takes me back to his Matrix days. Also, I found the samurai - not just Keanu - to be very respectable people. They know full well that they may be executed for treason but are hellbent on vanquishing their oppressors regardless. That is an honourable trait that you don't see enough in characters today.
However, I will admit that the film does have flaws. For instance, the film seems to take a while to get going and can be boring at times, but once it does get going, you will enjoy what it has to offer. A nuisance is that the film doesn't dedicate much to character development during this time. Keanu's character - despite being a victim of prejudice - seems quite empty and whatever you want to know fundamentally about his character or his character's background doesn't really get said.
But make no mistake, the film is entertaining when it can be and turns out to be quite a nice little action movie. It's just a shame that this movie didn't get the creative direction or revenue that it deserved.
1. Just because a movie bombs at the box office, it doesn't mean the movie is automatically terrible and that you should stay away from it. In it's broadest sense, a box office bomb just means that the film didn't gain enough interest, was the victim of poor marketing or went up in competition against more popular films in the theatres. It just happens that a lot of box office bombs and in this case, 47 Ronin was up against the likes of The Hobbit 2 and The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a shame because in some ways it is better than the CGI fest that is The Desolation of Smaug.
2. Keanu Reeves is not a bad actor!!!! The only people that ever say that are only saying it because they can't get over his comedic performances in the Bill and Ted franchise. Get over it and stop hating on the guy. He has an incredibly stoic and intense charisma that makes him very good to watch. It's just a shame that people think of that charisma as wooden. Granted, he has had bad performances, but he has emerged a very fine actor.
3. Just because a white guy features in a predominantly Japanese movie based on Japanese history, it doesn't mean that film is racist. In fact, I found that Keanu Reeves serves very well to represent our westernised eye in the story as a put-upon outcast since the film is obviously marketed to the average western audience.
Anyway, those are some common criticisms that have been directed at this movie. 47 Ronin is a surprisingly good action movie with some very impressive fight sequences, although it does have it's flaws as with any movie. So let's dive in. The film mainly concerns a band of samurai that seek vengeance against the people that drove them out of their land. They recruit Kai (Keanu Reeves), a "half-breed" who is treated like a bit of a second class citizen. What follows is the 47 Ronin's journey to vanquish their enemies.
The main strength that the movie has is it's action sequences. They are very well done and seeing Keanu take on the role of a samurai takes me back to his Matrix days. Also, I found the samurai - not just Keanu - to be very respectable people. They know full well that they may be executed for treason but are hellbent on vanquishing their oppressors regardless. That is an honourable trait that you don't see enough in characters today.
However, I will admit that the film does have flaws. For instance, the film seems to take a while to get going and can be boring at times, but once it does get going, you will enjoy what it has to offer. A nuisance is that the film doesn't dedicate much to character development during this time. Keanu's character - despite being a victim of prejudice - seems quite empty and whatever you want to know fundamentally about his character or his character's background doesn't really get said.
But make no mistake, the film is entertaining when it can be and turns out to be quite a nice little action movie. It's just a shame that this movie didn't get the creative direction or revenue that it deserved.