“47 Ronin” is a highly-exaggerated version of one of Japan’s most famous legends, unless of course you believe giant monsters were roaming around back then. It wants to be both an authentic samurai film and a film filled with lots of monsters spawned by special effects and you can’t have it both ways.

In “47 Ronin”, a group of samurai without a master decide to go against orders and seek revenge for the death of their superior. If they are going to succeed they are going to need the help of outcast half breed Kai (Keanu Reeves “The Matrix”, “Johnny Mnemonic”) because using the skills he learned from demons as a child, he can defeat the magic surrounding the enemy.

Take virtually any movie starring Mr. Reeves and you’ll find he’s the gifted one, the one with a connection to demons/Hell and prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice and his character Kai is no different to the majority of characters he’s played so he becomes awfully predictable. The other characters aren’t terribly exciting. The special effects are dazzling but there is either too much of them or not enough of them. The combat in this movie is disappointing and there is a distinct lack of it.

“47 Ronin” itself is a half breed and it can’t decide which path to take and instead hops from one to the other whenever it feels like it. For several scenes you’ll get samurai just sat around and then you’ll get one where Reeves fights a witch turning into a dragon. In individual scenes it can entertain but as a whole package it falls short. It’s like asking for either water or orange juice and getting squash, it’s a combination of the two but it doesn’t work as well as one on their own. “47 Ronin” is not one to desperately be on the lookout for.