So just how long has the Keanu Reeves-starring “47 Ronin” been kicking around? It was originally slated to open last November, before going through a couple more release date bumps, before finally landing on Christmas Day this year. Reports of re-shoots, story changes and more dogged the project, with the budget rumored to have soared to $225 million already (though the studio insists it won’t cross $200 million), well past the original $175 million budget. And that’s not mention some battles over the edit, though first time filmmaker Carl Rinsch has weathered the storm. And now, we’ll see the result and it’s… this….
The first trailer for “47 Ronin” looks big and very, very empty. While the concept sounds pretty awesome on paper—47 warriors, following the forced seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) of their master after assaulting a court official, seek revenge on those who caused his death—the result seems to be a CGI calamity with some, uh, interesting acting from Reeves. We’re not quite sure what we just watched, but it something manages to be both unique yet obscenely dull, presenting yet another world with strange creatures crashing through forests and super dark environments that will be even harder to see in 3D.
So, good luck with this one Universal. Watch below followed by some character posters via Empire. “47 Ronin” co-stars Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki and Tadanobu Asano.
