47 Ronin (2013) - Carl Rinsch

Carl Rinsch's 47 Ronin sets out to tell one of ancient Japan's most legendary tales.  Keanu Reeves stars as Kai, a half white/half Japanese man who is a complete outcast among the samurai he serves.  After the unjust death of his master, Kai joins Oishi, the leader of the 47 outcast samurai, in order to seek vengeance upon the sinister overlord responsible for their master's death and their banishment.  Intent on restoring honor to their homeland, these warriors embark on an epic quest full of mystical creatures, magic, and lots of CGI porn.   Carl Rinsch's 47 Ronin is a CGI-infused, stylistic interpretation of an old legend that suffers greatly from the "Lord of the Rings" effect.   Instead of telling a more grounded and simplistic interpretation of the tale, 47 Ronin introduces all sorts of mythical monsters, magic, and mayhem in an attempt to give the film a more blockbuster type feel.  What I find most interesting about 47 Ronin is that Carl Rinsch and crew seem to respect the material but all the narrative amounts to is a tedious, un-compelling two-hour mope show.  The film takes itself very seriously, too much so in fact, which inevitable makes the whole endeavor feel lifeless.  If the filmmakers were interested in making a serious film, I'm a little puzzled as to why they cast Keanu Reeves in the role for starters, or why they relied so heavily on computer effects to up the ante instead of the emotional weight of the film.  Carl Rinsch's 47 Ronin is a very uninteresting adaption of a legendary tale, being a great case study of Hollywood's obsession towards CGI and superfluous action.

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