Something to Muse About: Ko Shibasaki

There’s been much talk about 47 Ronin from the time that it was announce. The casting sounded phenomenal on paper, even though there were whispers of Keanu Reeves inability to act. The director, Chris Rinch, known for his great visual style seemed perfect for the task. And the story line, inspired by Japan’s most famous legend seemed too good to be true. It was. Where the Story goes wrong the CGI, action and camera direction go right, making 47 Ronin rife with potential, but never quite delivering on its promise.

47 Ronin was inspired by the real-life events of the forty-seven ronin, a "ronin" is a master-less samurai warrior. A well-respected and beloved Lord was framed for crimes. The Shogun allowed the Lord to regain his honor by taking his own life in traditional suicidal fashion. The Lord's land and daughter were then given to the man who framed him; the samurai were banished and sentenced to death should they ever return. The 47 ronin returned to reveal the new Lord's guilt and restore honor and integrity to the Lord's family name out of love and respect, and to save his daughter from her impending marriage taking on dragons, a witch and an army to do so. Outsider halfbreed Kai, and leader Kuranosuke Oishi, risk life, reputation, and family to reclaim the honor of their late master.

Had the movie followed the legend it would have come across very The Last Samurai, but instead it incorporates supernatural spectacles that throw the film off balance in their sloppy delivery. It’s hardly seemless, and a weird Asian Matrix vibe ruins the talent on-screen. Although Reeves has a great physicality during action sequences, he stumbles along in just about every other scene letting his co-stars pick up the slack, which they do delivering engrossing and colorful performances.

The film is visually stunning at times, but cannot decide if it wishes to go for the grand sweeping sets. The action sequences are good, but there’s too much time between them, with the editing making the ones there feel incomplete. The pacing is too slow too often, failing to grab and maintain audiences’ interest. It has all the potential for a major Japanese epic, but rather than going for depth and greatness it comes off as shallow.

Video: To take in all the special effects, the Blu –Ray is highly recommended. The details and the colors come off as especially vibrant and alive.

Special Features:

Deleted Scenes: There are four, but none of them seem to offer any real insight or importance to the story or characters.

Re-Forging the Legend : The original historical story from A to Z, filled with spoilers. The filmmakers, cast and crew explain how fantasy elements were added to the true story.

Keanu & Kai : Keanu Reeves gets a chance to explain how his character fits into the story. It includes interviews from the director and stunt team.

Steel Fury: The Fights of 47 Ronin: Probably the best addition, it has a breakdown of a few stunt sequences and the physicality behind it.

Myths, Magic & Monsters: The visual effects are certainly top-notch and it shows just how much CG was involved.

Although I expected to, I didn't completely hate 47 Ronin. It isn't awful, but it didn’t come close to meeting its cinematic or emotional potential. I want to believe that there’s a longer director’s cut which was a flowing masterpiece, but well, I just don’t have it in me. The 2 1/2 hour run time, already seem overly long. The video and audio qualities are great, the score is especially good, far grander than the film itself. 47 Ronin is certainly good enough for a watch, and luckily its available on DVD and Blu ray now.

KEANU REEVES STARS IN THE 3D EPIC ACTION-ADVENTURE

47 RONIN

BE THE FIRST TO OWN IT ON DIGITAL HD MARCH 18, 2014
AND BRING HOME THE BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK INCLUDING
BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL HD WITH ULTRAVIOLET™ ON APRIL 1, 2014

NOW MOVIE FANS CAN WATCH 47 RONIN ANYWHERE ON THEIR FAVORITE DEVICES

Universal City, California, February 4, 2014— Keanu Reeves (The Matrix trilogy, The Day The Earth Stood Still) stars in a reimagining of one of Japan’s timeless tales, 47 Ronin, available on Blu-ray™ 3Dand Blu-ray™ Combo Packs, DVD, DIGITAL HD including UltraViolet^™and On Demand on April 1, 2014, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Based on an epic story, this extraordinary tale of inspiring courage has its origins in the early 18^th century. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and reclaim their honor. Transformed into a thrilling, visually stunning 3D film by director Carl Rinsch, 47 Ronin tells the story of a small group of warriors, or ronin, on a quest to avenge the death of their master. Battling across a savage world of mythical beasts, shape-shifting witches and wondrous terrors, the ronin must seek help from kai (Reeves), an enslaved half-breed they once rejected – in their ultimate fight for redemption.

Keanu Reeves leads an international cast that includes Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine, The Last Samurai) as Oishi, the leader of the ronin; Tadanobu Asano (The Wolverine, Thor: The Dark World) as Lord Kira, the treacherous villain who will stop at nothing to destroy his enemies; Academy Award^®-nominated actress Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim) as the Witch, a siren who executes Kira’s deadly plans; and Ko Shibasaki (The Lady Shogun and Her Men, One Missed Call) as Mika, the forbidden love of Kai’s life.

The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet^™.

· BLU-RAY™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6x the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

· DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

· DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet^™lets watch movies anywhere, on any device. Users can instantly stream or download movies to watch on iPad^®, iPhone^®, Android^™, smart TVs, connected Blu-ray players, game consoles and more.

EXCLUSIVE 3D BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK AND BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK BONUS FEATURES:

· KEANU & KAI — Keanu Reeves embodies one of cinema’s most richly imagined heroes as Kai, the outcast who leads a small band of rebels against an army and supernatural enemies. Along with Reeves, director Carl Rinsch and other key voices from the filmmaking team reveal how this adventure would not be possible without Reeves’ mastery of martial arts and total immersion in the role.

· STEEL FURY: THE FIGHTS OF 47 RONIN — This featurette explores the intense research, choreography and rehearsals that went into creating the film’s unique action sequences, including Kai’s epic battle against the silver Samurai and the heart-stopping Kirin hunt sequence.

· MYTHS, MAGIC & MONSTERS: THE FX OF 47 RONIN — 47 Ronin’s world-class creative team reveals the technological magic it used to bring to life the creatures of ancient Japanese folklore, including The Kirin (a giant hybrid beast with the head of a dragon and the body of a deer), the Kitsune witch, the Oni troll and the demonic Tengu Monks.

3D BLU-RAY, BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS FEATURES:

· RE-FORGING THE LEGEND — The story of 47 Ronin is one of Japan’s most time-honored legends. The filmmakers talk about how they brought this “dream world” to the big screen, from script to costumes, visual design, and culture.

· DELETED SCENES

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Ko Shibasaki

Directed by: Carl Rinsch

Screenplay by: Chris Morgan, Hossein Amini

Story by: Chris Morgan, Walter Hamada

Producers: Pamela Abdy, Eric McLeod

Director of Photography: John Mathieson

Production Design by: Jan Roelfs

Editor: Stuart Baird

Costumes by: Penny Rose

Original Music by: Ilan Eshkeri

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – 3D BLU-RAY™:

Street Date: April 1, 2014

Selection Numbers: 61131766 (U.S), 61131767 (CDN)

Running Time: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements

Technical Info: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital², DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (Spanish, French)

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™:

Street Date: April 1, 2014

Selection Numbers: 61130457 (U.S), 61131189 (CDN)

Running Time: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements

Technical Info: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital², DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (Spanish, French)

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:

Street Date: April 1, 2014

Selection Numbers: 61119170 (U.S), 61131190 (CDN)

Running Time: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

Layers: Dual Layer

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements

Technical Info: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital², DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (Spanish, French)

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French

About Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.