Review of 47 Ronin (1994) by Jayakrishnan R — 16 Jul 2015

52%.

Saw this on 04/01/14.

I am not a person who views a film after taking the critics opinion into consideration, so I like a lot of films that are critically panned. I consider watching a movie and reviewing it almost similar to correcting an examination paper. I would be the most lenient evaluator, that may be the reason why I criticize the least. I would try to find some entertainment value in every film that I see. Even then I found 47 Ronin to be extremely dull. This film is comprised of a poor script and a bad, lifeless direction. Keanu Reeves is not even the impression of his earlier acting talent. He just fights and blandly tells the dialogues. The rest of the cast is also dull, but Hiroyuki Sanada does some justice to his role. The special effects are sub-par and the relatively less visualized first half is better than the overstuffed second one. The only good thing about this film is the sets and costumes which makes them look so Japanese. Like I said, the first half is better, just because it is not stuffed with ludicrous materials. Also, the makers seem to be confused whether they have to make this into a fantasy movie or a samurai film like The Last Samurai(2003), so the film ends up stranded in the middle of no where. The trailer of the film had undeniable quality. A better director and a better making style combined with good music could have saved this film. Even big flops like The Lone Ranger and White House Down had some sort of entertainment value to them, but this one being so boring, it belongs to the class of films like John Carter, Battleship and Cowboys and Aliens.