Keanu Reeve's isn't the star of "47 Ronin", even though the trailers and posters lead you to believe he is the main character.
That being said, though Hiroyuki Sanada (Oishi) is the "true" main character and is praised as a great Japanese actor, the film has critics cringing at their seats. RottenTomatoes.com certified the film rotten with a 17 percent rating. Check out what reviewers had to say below.
Variety says actor Keanu Reeves (Kai) will draw you to watch the film, but that's where your interest will end:
"There's something undeniably old-fashioned about the entire experience - like the matte-painted fantasy-scapes of early sound cinema. Even though nearly all the scenes take place outdoors, there's the closed-in feel of actors performing against greenscreens, to the extent that even group shots of the 47 ronin tend to feature no more than five or six of them together at once."
Film.com rates "47 Ronin" .5 out 10:
"Possibly the second-worst thing to happen to Japan so far this century, "47 Ronin" is at once both a miserable movie and an extraordinary monument to how miserable the movie industry can be... While it's always prickly and often unwise to view a movie through the lens of its making, '47 Ronin' was stitched together with the seamless precision of Frankenstein's monster, its various sutures so carelessly visible that the circumstances of the film's creation are almost impossible to untangle from the film itself."
Den of Geek gives the film 2.5 out of 5 stars:
"47 Ronin is beautifully photographed and its commitment to elaborate costumes, intricate suits of armor, and practical battle scenes between large groups of people feels positively old-fashioned. It's those moments where 47 Ronin is at its very best. As it stands, though, the clutter on display make this a missed opportunity to create what could have been a definitive cinematic take on a timeless story."
