I watched it at 10:15 opening night. It was starting to snow out (we just got messed up by a pretty good sized storm here in northern New England) and apparently few people had the urge to drive home at 12:40am from a movie, so the crowd was nice and small. Anyways, I thought it was a PHENOMENAL movie. The people who watch it and give it bad reviews, are doing so because of two main reasons: 1. The portrayal of the character as done by Tom Cruise, and 2. The general "Hollywood-ness" of the production. To them I reply first, that It isn't easy to pull off a quality job of a white guy in full blown Samurai armor anyway you cut it and, while it is a little less believable when one is trying to do it with Tom Cruise, they nonetheless did a pretty damn good job, and I'm impressed with Cruise's grasp and pronunciation of the Japanese language. In addressing the second issue, one has to take into account the general masses. I feel, in this, they've done a very good job weaving actual historical events in with the aspects of an engaging storyline. Let's face it, while Japanese history/culture/language nuts like myself would gladly pay to see a playing out of the actual happenings between the modernist Meiji government's Imperial Army and traditionalist Takamori Saigo's band of "the last samurai," there's far more appeal to the populace when a movie changes names, uses popular actors, and weaves in a rather well written story with a dash of humor, the suggestion of romance, and solid emotional scenes. I shed some tears, partially because of rather strong movie moments, and partially because I've long held an intense reverence for the stuff that makes up a person who can be a warrior, poet, artist, and deeply driven individual, to the point where they can instill in themselves the discipline required to end their own life in the name of their honor, whether by their own hands, or charging headfirst into battle. In closing this review, I'd like to say that the title is well chosen as well. Moviegoers who are there for the action, effects, and Tom Cruise will most likely identify "The Last Samurai" as being Tom Cruise's character. While those who are there in the pursuit of more substance as well (an interest in the actual history, period culture, and weapons/armor) will most likely identify the general group of tradition-protecting samurai in the whole as "The Last Samurai." In short, this movie provides something for everyone, and I'd have to say this is right behind "The Matrix" trilogy as my favorite movie of the year.