28
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanPerhaps a folly and – Kikuchi aside - too deadpan to be a romp, this is still a decent, colourful samurai spectacle with a classical look (lots of symmetrical compositions) and a story which stands up under multiple retellings.
- 50USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigWhile the visuals are lovely to behold, this unremarkable version of the classic 18th century Japanese legend is stiff and uninvolving.
- 50New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartThere’s little sense of urgency, or — oddly, given the film’s title — of scale. You never really think that the 47 are truly outnumbered, and the large action scenes are often just incomprehensible.
- 40VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeAs impressive as these visual elements prove to be, the film struggles to grab and maintain audiences’ interest, whether or not they know the underlying legend by heart.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyIt falls short on character definition, emotional involvement, narrative drive and originality.
- 30Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenLos Angeles TimesMark OlsenRinsch, making his feature debut, shows the shortcoming of someone coming from the image-based world of commercials and advertising. There are moments of genuine beauty and a few terrifically eye-popping effects, but no feel yet for storytelling.
- 25Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaThis botched vision accepts the warrior's nobility at face value and sees the story merely as a springboard for high-flying action and CGI special effects.
- 20Total FilmTotal Film“I will search for you through 1,000 worlds and 10,000 lifetimes!” Reeves promises his beloved. Anyone who sits all the way through this glossy folly will know exactly how that feels.
- 5Film.comDavid EhrlichFilm.comDavid EhrlichInsufferably boring, culturally hegemonic, and profoundly ugly.
- 0New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierIn the monumentally dull 47 Ronin, Reeves mumbles monosyllabic claptrap between dull action scenes. And it’s a shame: At almost 50 years old, the actor allows this turgid, clanky flick to play to his worst stereotypes.