Plot
Summary:
From
ancient Japan's most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is
born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki
Sanada), the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the
treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To
restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that
challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.
47 Ronin is helmed by visionary director Carl Erik Rinsch (The Gift). Inspired
by styles as diverse as Miyazaki and Hokusai, Rinsch will bring to life the
stunning landscapes and enormous battles that will display the timeless Ronin
story to global audiences in a way that's never been seen before. -- (C)
Universal
Movie
Specs:
Rating- PG-13
Sex and Nudity- 2/10 (a bare-chested Keanu with
some “geisha” leg)
Language- 1/10 (No room for English swearing in a
samurai themed movie)
Violence- 7/10 (Decapitation, sword fights, and
mass suicide)
Drugs-0/10 (no drugs)
Length- 2hrs 7 mins
Review:
I may have overrated this movie. I love
samurai fights, and I had a brief obsession with the original Matrix movie
(yes… I once fantasized of flying though the Matrix with a trench coat clad
Keanu).
Since I have absolutely no background of the legend
this movie was based on, I couldn’t critique on whether or not it did justice
to the original plot. The magical element of the movie allowed beautiful
special effects but it seemed too fantastical to allow character development of
the samurai. Keanu portrays a character that is reminiscent of his Neo aka “The
One” role, he even had a “come-over-here” moment in a climactic fight scene.
Even if we choose to ignore the fact that the lead character of a samurai film
is not Japanese, we can’t help but question the legitimacy of various cultural
elements in the movie. The characters are so obvious and so unidimensional they become parodies. Villains are my favorites in films and taint my overall perspective of the movie. Kira. ugh. disappointing. The witch however was so senselessly evil I ended up liking her best just for her ability to pull it all off despite her character's lack of depth.
The best part of this movie is not its stilted
Japanese-accented dialogue. Nor is it the revenge honor and forbidden love
centered plot (which they unnecessarily stretched into a 2-hour film). The
best parts are the fight scenes with sharp swords and agile “ninja” moves. The
big budget is apparent in the special effects and cinematography. The sets are
also beautifully made and some segments allowed me to concede that 3D movies
are not so bad. It succeeds in transporting audiences into 18th
century Japan.
Although it had a generally sullen vibe, it is occasionally broken by some moments: The stereotypical fat guy blunders, the lead samurai's name Oishi (Hi, I am samurai Delicious hehe) and the pompous smile of Kira. You spot familiar faces (wohoo! Cary Tagawa!). All in all, it was a decent film that requires little brain activity to understand the scenes. Watch if only for my favorite scene of the wedding crashers.
Although it had a generally sullen vibe, it is occasionally broken by some moments: The stereotypical fat guy blunders, the lead samurai's name Oishi (Hi, I am samurai Delicious hehe) and the pompous smile of Kira. You spot familiar faces (wohoo! Cary Tagawa!). All in all, it was a decent film that requires little brain activity to understand the scenes. Watch if only for my favorite scene of the wedding crashers.
Fave
Character:
Witch (deliciously wicked).
Least
Liked Character:
Kira (most useless villain ever. hehe)
Fave
Quote: (NV)
Monster Monk??: Mika will
never be yours in this lifetime.
Kai: Then I would die
praying that I would find her in the next.
Fave
Scene:
Wedding Reception/wall breach scene. Can’t find a screen cap so
below is the cheesiest scene.
