New ’47 Ronin’ International Trailer: Keanu Reeves vs. All the Monsters

The first trailer for '47 Ronin' left just as many people baffled as excited. After all, this movie looks downright nutty: Keanu Reeves as an inexplicably caucasian samurai leading 46 of his fellow warriors against all kinds of supernatural monsters is not something you get to see at the multiplex every day. While we can scratch our heads and wonder what this movie actually is all day, the new international trailer gets right to the point. Even with a language barrier, it makes it clear that '47 Ronin' is all about the monsters.

Although half the length of an ordinary trailer, this 71-second spot essentially sells '47 Ronin' as 'Lord of the Rings' in Japan, with samurai facing down all kinds of massive creatures in epic, CGI-fueled battles. Considering how unashamed this trailer is of the film's supernatural overtones, it's weird how traditional the official synopsis makes the film sound:

From ancient Japan’s most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.

If you read that plot description without seeing a trailer, you'd think we were in for something a bit more like 'The Last Samurai,' not a goofy genre blockbuster. And yeah, '47 Ronin' looks really silly, but if you're going to make a silly movie, you might as well put Keanu Reeves front and center with a samurai sword in his hands. Although the very public production troubles have us worried, this is a movie that seems to know exactly what it is.

'47 Ronin' is directed by Carl Rinsch and will hit theaters on December 25, 2013. Ah, nothing says the holidays quite like Samurai Keanu stabbing dragons.