While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Storyline, lots of action, great ending, etc. Overall a great movie. IDK why the critics are so critical. I've recently seen Sorry to Bother You and that movie was absolute horse-d***. I can't believe critics gave that movie an average of mid 80s and 47 Ronin an average rating of 45s. 47 Ronin is a must watch. Very understand.

I am familiar with the historical tale of the 47 Ronin. I thought that this film was very interesting and visually beautiful. I am a big Keanu fan, and I thought that he was great in this. I am also a very big Hiroyuki Sanada fan, and he was, as always, impeccable. For those of you who boo hoo the "historical Innacuracy," read the history of Japan sometime. It's full of Gods and Goddesses, witches and demons.

If you, like me, have a heart for trash- and B-movies, I don't have to tell you that you simply cannot avoid films of a certain reputation, no matter how hard you try. It's like the old story with the flies and a heap of manure: there just is no helping it but to occasionally dive right in. And rarely does one get to see such a heap with such a price-tag.At the same time I had a little spark of hope left, which came in the shape of Hiroyuki Sanada. Sanada had worked hard for the past 40 years, transforming himself from a teen-heartthrob to a distinguishable actor ("Sunshine", "The Last Samurai"), having a gift for shining even in the occasional dud ("The Wolverine", "Rush Hour 3") that he'll appear in. But I should have known better, that even actors armed with an army of Oscars would have little chance against the living mediocrity that is called Keanu Reeves.If you have a basic idea about what the historical story of the 47 Ronin is about, you'll know fully well that the half-caste character of Reeves has been dumped into the storyline like an infant into a virgin; utterly unnecessary and utterly pointless, for no other reason than having a Hollywood-name attached to the project. Speaking about virgins and infants: Reeves acting his way out of a paper-bag, now that would have been another biblical miracle. Like misery personified he drags himself through the picture and here I have to admit: I have not coined the term "Prozac-Samurai", though I often wish I had.As for the rest of this convoluted mess: Is it at least entertaining on a popcorn-level? I'd say, about 50/50. Perhaps it could have worked if the studio would have "allowed" the director to steer his project more toward the direction of historical epos. But those elements simply didn't sit well with a load of fantasy, dragons, Japanese demons and animated beasts. Take for example the scene at the "Dutch colony", which had the potential to be the visual highlight of the flick. Again, the producers had other plans for the audience, opting for a blend of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and a man-monster straight out of "300" thrown in for "good measure". This is also the scene with Rick Genest, better known as "Zombie-Boy", who is featured so prominently on the movies poster. Didn't clock it but his appearance should be around 10 – 15 seconds of screen-time, that add nothing to the storyline.So, is it a Samurai-epos, CGI-Fantasy-standard or simply template Hollywood-factory-fodder? Well, it does not only sit between those chairs, it falls straight through them. In essence this really ads up the whole mess: plenty of promises that generally remain empty, interrupted by some pretty visuals, a bore that had gone through editing-hell and a "star" that has outstayed his welcome for about 13 years. Every moment shows. 4/10 should not be too much.(And etymological trivia for the road: I have been told that, if I happened to dislike this movie or his "star" – which I obviously do – that makes me a "hater". It would appear that the word is used for anybody that disagrees with you or holds an opinion that differs from your own. So it's not a negative expression per se, but might indicates that you don't necessarily fall for any hype or have a disdain for mediocre productions).

I haven't heard of the 47 Ronin story this was based on, but given it's reception and it's failure at the box office, I might want to do some research when I have a chance. I mean, the trailers looked great and exciting for the most part, but unfortunately, Universal Pictures didn't realize that the marketing for the film wasn't that good. Not to mention that it came out the same month as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which garnered more attention There are some good things about the film. The acting is fine for the most part. Keanu Reeves from The Matrix, Rinko Kikuchi from Pacific Rim, and everyone else involved did their best. The costumes are nice and there are some nice details, but there two of the best things about this film. Ilan Eshkeri, the guy who composed the score for Stardust, does a great job with his music here, using authentic Japanese violins, gives some scope to the film, and some really neat action cues. And then there's the visuals. John Mathieson, who did the cinematography for Ridley Scott's films including Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood, creates some of the best visuals for a live-action feature film. The landscapes, the forests, the mountains, and the medieval-like Japanese setting has some great detail. Oh, and the special effects are really neat too especially the dragon. Kudos to that.And now for the bad parts. I understand that it tries to be accurate to the historical event this was based on, but the only problem is, it takes itself way too seriously. The script is really stale, the dialog is really clichéd, the characters are one-dimensional and are really undeveloped, the writing is really terrible, and the pacing is really boring. Which is a shame, because the money for the production design was well-spent.Overall, 47 Ronin isn't exactly a terrible movie. It's really beautiful in it's production design, but it could've been so much better if they gave more believability to the characters and story. It's sad to say that this receives a thumbs down from me. :(