Becca Spackman reviewed 47 Ronin for UK site Film Debate and gave the film a rating of 4/5 stars. She fibished her review with this:
47 Ronin will definitely appeal to its niche audience. My only complaint is that after a longwinded revelation that Kai’s prowess with a sword is not just borne of natural talent but rather of supernatural origins, the plot strand is entirely dropped before we can learn more about his ethereal teachers. Other than this, this film ticked every box and gave me exactly what I desired, an escape into the enthralling world of Japanese folklore and legend. Keanu Reeves was ruggedly grumpy, the dragons were beautiful and the fascinating Japanese culture abounded. Predictable? Maybe. A fraction too Westernised? Perhaps. A fantastical tale of friendship, honour and love? Most definitely.
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Ted Claudio reviewed 47 Ronin for Wazzup Philippines and gave it 4/5 stars. He said the following about the film:
After enjoying watching the movie for 2 hours in the cinema, I realized that 47 Ronin is a movie that will make a mark in my samurai movies hall of fame. I enjoyed every moment of it. The action scenes, the big scale production, the drama, the fantasy and even a dose of comedy. The crowd seems to have the same sentiments when everyone reacted to the scenes accordingly.
He also noted that while the film wasn’t popular in the US, he expects it to be a blockbuster in the Philippines.