It's a MOVIE, people

Rating: 8/10 (22 April 2004)

I know this film has received much positive response, but the amount of negative feedback is almost overwhelming. I can't believe all these people griping about Tom Cruise's invincibility and how the movie fails to accurately depict the samurai and their way of life. They are fighting against a drastic change that is being forced on them too quickly for their own liking, so why not fight back? Cruise's character understands the way they feel, so he joins them in their cause. Maybe not a wise decision if one holds one's survival above all else, but it's a movie. For the love of all things sacred, it's A MOVIE. Enjoy it. Be entertained. If you don't like it because of such trivialities, too bad. They're there, and there's nothing you can do about it. Now, if there had been some truly glaring problems, such as a complete lack of explanation of Algren's sympathy for the samurai or the presence of an odious comic-relief character, I would complain about the movie as well.
However, I found it to be an excellent film. It had an interesting story, one of the best battles ever filmed, great performances by the entire cast (especially Watanabe), excellent cinematography, and an excellent script, among other nice qualities. I, for one, found the ending to be quite well-done. As a whole, I feel it was a thoroughly satisfying film and should have as least been nominated for Best Picture. Even though it wasn't, I still hold a great amount of respect for the movie and all who took part in its production.