Bushido Blades. 47 Ronin.

January is traditionally the month when the studios highlight their prestigious award nominated movies (say "Hello" to  'American Hustle, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street', 'Twelve Years A Slave' etc) and quietly try to sneak out embarassments they don't know what to do with in the hope that nobody will notice. When a film like '47 Ronin' which has a big name star and an astronomical budget barely has any marketing behind it you know the studio has no faith in it and sure enough it's the latest title to become a by-word for studio excess and is being reported as a blockbuster flop. However, like 'John Carter', like 'The Lone Ranger' it's really not that bad. It's certainly more enjoyable than 'Hansel and Gretel' or 'The Man With The Iron Fists' or 'Riddick' that have all been championed by the same studio (Universal Pictures). I enjoyed it more than 'Pacific Rim' and 'Wolverine' and 'Superman: Man of Steel" and other forgettable summer movie fare. It's better than the dire "Conan' or 'Clash Of The Titans' remakes.

As you would expect of a fantasy film with a Japanese flavour, it's visually striking and colourful and exotic. It relies too much on CGI, but what doesn't? It has Samurai and dragons and sorcery and battles. It lacks humour and strong characters but it's not bad. Keanu is just okay, but is that a surprise. He doesn't disgrace himself.

You can see why a major studio would have been excited by the project and sank so much money into it. They thought they were getting a mystic Lord Of The Rings with Samurai. They've got a Japanese legend that they don't know how to market. Maybe,  just maybe,  giving such a project to a first time director was a mistake but even so the film has an epic sweep to it, a unique grandeur and I think captures the essence of a mythical and magical Japan.

The real problem for audiences I think is that it's not an American story. It's not your typical three act structure, it's more of a tableaux exploring destiny and honour and it has a very unusual ending that packs an emotional punch. In short, it's not your standard Hollywood popcorn fare. For that it should be commended and not condemned.

If you're not expecting too much from it, like beautiful photography and set design and are ready to roll with the fantasy elements then I think you'll like this a lot. See it on the big screen if you get the chance.