47 Ronin

[FZR1KG]

If you like Asian films this is pretty good.
It's pretty much all Japanese actors apart from Keanu and they fit him in as a half breed, which oddly he is in real life too.

If you're expecting a Hollywood'ized version of an Asian film, like "The Last Samurai", you'll be disappointed.
It's very much a tale, based on a true story and obviously made into a fantasy about, 47 Ronin. Surprise surprise surprise.

The acting was pretty good, the special effects were good, the 3D was not too intrusive. More like watching a movie in 3D rather than watching a 3D movie. I liked it from that perspective. Only a little of the crappy effects like things flying into you from the screen done just to highlight the 3D.

Plot was pretty good, though I would have gone with the actual real life events rather than the fantasy aspect.

As an Asian movie I'd rate it as 7/10.
Had they done away with the fantasy aspect and presented a true to life version of events I think it would have been far more epic
and involving.

Akira would have produced a better film but he never did this story in his long list of films. If he did this in the same style as he did "Seven Samurai" it would have been a real winner. Oh well.

[SciFi Chick]

I disagree. If they'd gone with the true to life events, it would have pissed me off more than it already did. But I'll have to discuss this with you elsewhere, as I don't want to start bringing in spoilers.

[Morrolan]

i want to see this one. it scores pretty good in the reviews, too. i'm wondering why this one is tanking at the box office...

[SciFi Chick]

i want to see this one. it scores pretty good in the reviews, too. i'm wondering why this one is tanking at the box office...

I think it's tanking at the box office for two which could be looked at in different ways as one reason(s). It's very Asian, and they aren't big on happy endings. Even though they've turned it into something of a fantasy, it still follows the legend of what actually happened to the 47 ronin. Otherwise, I think it should be a total hit. It's absolutely beautiful. Even the monsters are beautiful.

[FZR1KG]

Basically it's failing because it's really an Asian movie but being advertised as a hollywood style movie.
That's my opinion anyway. Easy way to describe it is:
"The last Samurai" was a hollywood movie in Japanese setting.
This is a Japanese movie screened outside Japan in the English language.

Without an understanding of Japanese culture the movie won't make "western" sense.

Also I think a lot of people tend to confuse Japanese movies with Chinese movies.
They are very different in their social order which is nothing like western cultures.

I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
I'm also pretty sure you'll be like me thinking Akira should have done a version of this, or at the least directed it...from the grave...

[SciFiFisher]

There seems to be an odd symmetry to movies:

If the critics pan it it's a box office hit
If the critics love it the box office receipts suck
If it's a huge, over the top, spare no expense to express the producers artistic vision movie epic it will flop initially and become a huge fan favorite years later.
If the audience loves it the critics hate it
If the critics hate it the audience loves it

I think you get the idea.

[SciFi Chick]

I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
I'm also pretty sure you'll be like me thinking Akira should have done a version of this, or at the least directed it...from the grave...

It definitely shouldn't have been helmed by a first time director.

[squ1d]

I will sum up why I'm not in a rush to see this movie: the reason is disagreement with the basic precept that you have offered us, that it is a very Asian movie. How can it be very Asian when Dude Reeves is the main character? He has a half Chinese, half Hawaiian grandmother, and that just doesn't work for me. There was no half breed Ronin in the 47 Ronin tale. There is no need to have a white person playing the lead in a story entirely composed of Asian people and set in Asia.

This seems to me just another in a long line of Americentric movies that cast white people as Asian leads, and it makes me sad.

[SciFi Chick]

I will sum up why I'm not in a rush to see this movie: the reason is disagreement with the basic precept that you have offered us, that it is a very Asian movie. How can it be very Asian when Dude Reeves is the main character? He has a half Chinese, half Hawaiian grandmother, and that just doesn't work for me. There was no half breed Ronin in the 47 Ronin tale. There is no need to have a white person playing the lead in a story entirely composed of Asian people and set in Asia.

He's playing a half breed. There also weren't any dragons or other fantastical creatures in the original tale.

This seems to me just another in a long line of Americentric movies that cast white people as Asian leads, and it makes me sad.

It's sort of a double lead. Him and the leader of the Ronin. When we say that it's Asian, we're talking about the style of the story telling. It's actually a good movie and it's soooo not Americentric. And I hate those as much as you do, so I wouldn't defend it otherwise.

If it makes you feel any better, there is a slew of movies on Netflix that have been ripped off from America. A remake of Ghost for example. Quite hilarious really.

[FZR1KG]

This seems to me just another in a long line of Americentric movies that cast white people as Asian leads, and it makes me sad.

That infamous question.
Is Obama black or white?

The answer, he is black to white people and white to black people if they don't like him.
He is whatever you want him to be when you like him. lol

I must admit that watching him in the role made me feel like he was out of place on a number of occasions but that might be me waiting for him to to say something like, "we have to die?...totally excellent dude!".

[SciFi Chick]

I must admit that watching him in the role made me feel like he was out of place on a number of occasions but that might be me waiting for him to to say something like, "we have to die?...totally excellent dude!".

That's just rude.