Likable, but Lacks Originality

Rating: 5/10 (12 March 2014)

"The Last Samurai" is a story about a Civil War veteran who goes over to Japan to fight the last pocket of Samurai; he is taken captive by the Samurai, but eventually learns to respect this dying culture and adapt to their way of life.
WHAT WORKS: The movie is beautiful to look at; the cinematography is magnificent. The story is generally engrossing and it's great to envision how the Samurai may have really lived in Japan hundreds of years ago. Speaking of which, the costumes and sets are outstanding, no doubt about it.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK: I enjoyed the movie, I did, but the plot is obviously taken from "Dances With Wolves," a very superior film. One could also cite "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Last of the Dogmen" as films with similar plots. (Although "Dogmen" is basically a rip-off of "Dances With Wolves," the story takes place in the modern world, so it definitely possesses its own uniqueness). The scene in "Samurai" where the Samurai make their first dramatic appearance is obviously ripped-off straight from a similar scene in "Dogmen" wherein the Indians make their first appearance (compare the two scenes for verification).
The score in the film is certainly serviceable but parts of it painfully sound like a watered-down variation of the fabulous score from "The Last of the Mohicans."
BOTTOM LINE: Although "The Last Samurai" could be subtitled "Dances with the Last Dogmen of Arabia," it's still quite enjoyable. People who have not seen these other four movies that so-obviously influenced "Samurai" will likely rate "The Last Samurai" higher than I have. If you really like this film and haven't seen these other movies I've mentioned, I encourage you to pick 'em up ASAP -- especially "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Dances With Wolves," which are two of the best movies ever filmed, period.
GRADE: C+