Most of the bad reviews are coze its been compared to the original one. But if u forget about it and lay back, its a good movie with great acting. My favorite is always Ethan Hawke. Of course whats missing is some really good music but hey, we heard worse, right
614 Reviews
Modern approach to a classic.
kerryhill12320 October 2016
Hate to be cliché voting this 7/10 but thought it was appropriate for a film of this nature.
I was sceptical, like I imagine many were, when I first heard they were remaking The Magnificent Seven since the original is such a classic. Being a fan of westerns in particular, I will jump at the chance to see a western in the cinema.
I really don't think this was a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. It upholds some originality rather than just blindly following the original script and attempts a more modern and socially aware approach. This approach I do not necessarily agree with as it comes across far too forced at times, like they were attempting to recognise as many different races or even 'minorities' as possible.
It was cheesy at times, there is no doubt about this, but classically westerns were styled this way, being melodramatic at times and maybe one too many standoffs with intense close ups of characters staring at each other. In a way I like this though. I thought it paid almost tribute to the classic westerns of the 1950s and 60s. The famous lighting another mans cigar' scene was a pretty neat addition, and instantly reminded me of 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly'.
The build up was worth it too was an awesome showdown and shootout, lots of well delivered performances and cleverly directed fight scenes. Not a bad film at all but definitely not a masterpiece. Worth your time if you're a fan of the genre.
I was sceptical, like I imagine many were, when I first heard they were remaking The Magnificent Seven since the original is such a classic. Being a fan of westerns in particular, I will jump at the chance to see a western in the cinema.
I really don't think this was a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. It upholds some originality rather than just blindly following the original script and attempts a more modern and socially aware approach. This approach I do not necessarily agree with as it comes across far too forced at times, like they were attempting to recognise as many different races or even 'minorities' as possible.
It was cheesy at times, there is no doubt about this, but classically westerns were styled this way, being melodramatic at times and maybe one too many standoffs with intense close ups of characters staring at each other. In a way I like this though. I thought it paid almost tribute to the classic westerns of the 1950s and 60s. The famous lighting another mans cigar' scene was a pretty neat addition, and instantly reminded me of 'The Good, The Bad & The Ugly'.
The build up was worth it too was an awesome showdown and shootout, lots of well delivered performances and cleverly directed fight scenes. Not a bad film at all but definitely not a masterpiece. Worth your time if you're a fan of the genre.
Denzel challenges Neeson for the title of World's Oldest Action Figure
A_Different_Drummer2 October 2016
Don't misunderstand.
Both Liam Neeson and Denzel Washington are in their 60s, both have defied the laws of Physics by starting brand-new careers as Action Heros late in life. and both are charismatic and talented enough to pull it off.
(Neeson with the Taken series plus a few other assorted action roles recently; Denzel with the Equalizer franchise and this strange oater.)
Frankly, I would be happy to buy a ticket buyer for all the action roles they both can dish up. If both these gentlemen want to continue to make these sorts of pictures for the next 20 years, I promise to keep watching.
However, leaving aside the star power of the lead in this production, overall this film is a borderline remake.
The original had a better ensemble cast, better music, and better acting.
This is an "OK" remake (as many other members have opined here) with arguably better pistol-handling skills.
And still a very nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Both Liam Neeson and Denzel Washington are in their 60s, both have defied the laws of Physics by starting brand-new careers as Action Heros late in life. and both are charismatic and talented enough to pull it off.
(Neeson with the Taken series plus a few other assorted action roles recently; Denzel with the Equalizer franchise and this strange oater.)
Frankly, I would be happy to buy a ticket buyer for all the action roles they both can dish up. If both these gentlemen want to continue to make these sorts of pictures for the next 20 years, I promise to keep watching.
However, leaving aside the star power of the lead in this production, overall this film is a borderline remake.
The original had a better ensemble cast, better music, and better acting.
This is an "OK" remake (as many other members have opined here) with arguably better pistol-handling skills.
And still a very nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.
The OK 7
drjgardner23 September 2016
Come on now. If you're going to re-make "The Magnificent 7" let's do it magnificently. Where was that great music? Where is the superlative cast that include Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Vladimir Sokoloff? You might argue that Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt are on a level with Brynner and McQueen, but I wouldn't. Pratt certainly has potential, but he doesn't yet have McQueen's star power. The rest are pale imitations, except perhaps for an unbelievably fat Vincent D'Onofrio who is certainly entertaining.
This is a modern re-telling. You might call it the Diversity 7. The producers threw in just about every minority you can think of – Mexican, Asian, Black, Woman. The only thing missing was a "little" person .
Personally I liked the idea of the woman, played very well by Haley Bennett who has been with Washington before ("The Equalizer").
An action film like this works only when the villain is villainous. Eli Wallach was terrific. Peter Sarsgaard wouldn't scare a fly.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it. It's OK, but it's not magnificent.
This is a modern re-telling. You might call it the Diversity 7. The producers threw in just about every minority you can think of – Mexican, Asian, Black, Woman. The only thing missing was a "little" person .
Personally I liked the idea of the woman, played very well by Haley Bennett who has been with Washington before ("The Equalizer").
An action film like this works only when the villain is villainous. Eli Wallach was terrific. Peter Sarsgaard wouldn't scare a fly.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it. It's OK, but it's not magnificent.
Very Underwhelming. Too PC for its own good.
wingnut924 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Seven is the magic number. A "seven" rating for a somewhat underwhelming movie. The gun fights were well executed and the cast as good as advertised. It's the story that lagged. The team assembling so quickly and their rationales for doing so are near nonsensical and shallow. Also, PC Hollywood rearing its head was noticeable and irritating. Casting the lead as a black man was absolutely fine (especially given a superb talent like Denzel Washington) and actually added to the narrative but adding an Indian, Asian and Mexican to the team for good measure seemed tacked on and forced to a silly degree. Making sure ALL the white men suffer a bad fate before the end of the movie adds to the "white man guilt" Hollywood is so keen on promoting nowadays.
At the end of the day, the movie is mostly unremarkable save for some intense gun battle scenes.
At the end of the day, the movie is mostly unremarkable save for some intense gun battle scenes.
A-Team with Six-shooters
floodmylife23 September 2016
Good movie, but certainly not great. The cast are tremendous actors, but IMO Vincent D'Onofrio was the star of the show...fantastic acting on his part. Of course, Denzel Washington was a good main character, however, unbelievable given that historically, the west was populated largely by people of Caucasion and Mexican descent. I feel that the casting of mostly minorities was another pathetic attempt at re-writing history with a broad, multi-colored and politically correct brush that is all too common today. This movie largely lacked character development and I wished there was more substance to the film. What can I say? Like many other movies released in the last 10 years, it had plenty of action and fast-moving scenes, but fell short of becoming something memorable. In the end, the script reminded me of the classic A- Team episode, except this team sports cowboy hats and six- shooters.
It's good... enough.
andyrew67012 October 2016
I'm not a huge fan of Antoine Fuqua, but he has his moments. This is one of those movies of his that's just fun, and very well-made, but just sort of everything I've come to expect. From the way he shoots, to his character development, it all can feel sorta choppy to me. Do not get me wrong though, the movie is still very fun.
I don't want this review to be based purely from a narrative perspective, because at the end of the day, this is a remake of a remake we are dealing with here, so we know it's more about the $. So I will give it it's credit where it's due, it's action can be BREATHTAKING at times. In fact, I'm going to make an early prediction that it's gonna be nominated for a fair share of "technical" Oscars, maybe even win for sound design. I thought that the actors, too did very well with their parts, especially Ethan Hawke, who shined for me PERSONALLY. It's popcorn fun, with little depth, but that's what I thought it would be when I went into it, so at least I wasn't expecting anything more. (this would have been a lower rating if that were the case)
I don't want this review to be based purely from a narrative perspective, because at the end of the day, this is a remake of a remake we are dealing with here, so we know it's more about the $. So I will give it it's credit where it's due, it's action can be BREATHTAKING at times. In fact, I'm going to make an early prediction that it's gonna be nominated for a fair share of "technical" Oscars, maybe even win for sound design. I thought that the actors, too did very well with their parts, especially Ethan Hawke, who shined for me PERSONALLY. It's popcorn fun, with little depth, but that's what I thought it would be when I went into it, so at least I wasn't expecting anything more. (this would have been a lower rating if that were the case)
If you look for holes; you'll find them. But its really entertaining!
ChetlovesMer28 September 2016
First off, I've seen both the original "Seven Samurai" and the Yule Brenner, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen version about a hundred times; I love both of those movies. I thought this version was great. Is it the greatest movie of all time? Of course not. Is it a reflection of how movies are done today? Of course it is?
There are unquestionably some holes in the story. People point to the Gatling Gun scene as totally over the top. And, Yes. It is over the top. The Gatling Gun, however, was a huge leap forward in firearm technology and if the movie makers were prone to a little exaggeration, I'm okay with that. My guess is any late 1800's cowboy who came up against a Gatling Gun and survived would probably also heavily exaggerate the story when telling it.
The other issue I keep hearing is that some of the seven join up for almost no reason. They just "join up". Okay, again, true. But I challenge you to watch the 1960's version again. If you are truly honest with that film at least 3 members of that seven join up because they have "nothing better to do". I actually think the idea of a bounty hunter rounding up guys who have a bounty on them kinda makes sense. Both the town and the team are way more culturally diverse than ever would have happened in the late 1800's. But did you really think Hollywood could make a movie in which all the bad guys are Mexicans and all the heroes are white guys like in the 1960's version? (Okay Charles Bronson's character was HALF-Mexican.)
This version is very entertaining. It's a fun escape. It's an action movie which isn't another damned superhero movie. The female lead is phenomenal. Denzel is Denzel-ishly great. Chris Pratt is both entertaining and a solid second-in-command. The other characters fill in the blanks nicely. The strangely culturally diverse town participates in their own salvation. The action scenes are well done, if not completely realistic. It's a re-imagined version that pays tribute in many places to both the original and the 1960's remake.
Go see the movie and have fun like I did. And if you are one of those people that needs complete realism. Then sit at home and think about how boring complete realism would be.
There are unquestionably some holes in the story. People point to the Gatling Gun scene as totally over the top. And, Yes. It is over the top. The Gatling Gun, however, was a huge leap forward in firearm technology and if the movie makers were prone to a little exaggeration, I'm okay with that. My guess is any late 1800's cowboy who came up against a Gatling Gun and survived would probably also heavily exaggerate the story when telling it.
The other issue I keep hearing is that some of the seven join up for almost no reason. They just "join up". Okay, again, true. But I challenge you to watch the 1960's version again. If you are truly honest with that film at least 3 members of that seven join up because they have "nothing better to do". I actually think the idea of a bounty hunter rounding up guys who have a bounty on them kinda makes sense. Both the town and the team are way more culturally diverse than ever would have happened in the late 1800's. But did you really think Hollywood could make a movie in which all the bad guys are Mexicans and all the heroes are white guys like in the 1960's version? (Okay Charles Bronson's character was HALF-Mexican.)
This version is very entertaining. It's a fun escape. It's an action movie which isn't another damned superhero movie. The female lead is phenomenal. Denzel is Denzel-ishly great. Chris Pratt is both entertaining and a solid second-in-command. The other characters fill in the blanks nicely. The strangely culturally diverse town participates in their own salvation. The action scenes are well done, if not completely realistic. It's a re-imagined version that pays tribute in many places to both the original and the 1960's remake.
Go see the movie and have fun like I did. And if you are one of those people that needs complete realism. Then sit at home and think about how boring complete realism would be.
Regurgitated Hollywood Garbage
dbryn30 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The original is still considered a top 5 western of all time, so why mess with that? It's opening night of this movie in a half full theater, and from the number of one liners that only got a few laughs from the two elderly ladies a few rows back, to the cliché action sequences ripped off of other great westerns, my eyes are sore from how much they rolled over 140mins. The writing was as lousy as the directing in my opinion. The dialogue looked amateur compared to what was delivered in something like "Tombstone". Poor Vincent D'Onofrio was using some ridiculous voice that he could hardly deliver the lines in, and *spoiler alert* his death was over dramatic and CHEESY!!! Good guys and bad guys dropping like flies from bullets, but Chris Pratt rides in o ten(?) men firing at him, sustains at least six bullets before falling... he has just enough strength to muster trying to light a smoke, and light some dynamite with a casual trouble free grin -- CHEESY! And then to top it all off, let's add in a few native Americans in nice clean clothes that look straight off the shelf from the local trading post - navy blue felt was it? What, did they run out of money on wardrobe? The lines, the Indian war cries, and the native vs native fight was insulting in my opinion.
So, what did Hollywood accomplish with this? Antoine Fuqua's took a top western and destroyed it. When the current generation hears of "The Magnificent Seven", they will remember a garbage film and that's what people will remember -- well done.
So, what did Hollywood accomplish with this? Antoine Fuqua's took a top western and destroyed it. When the current generation hears of "The Magnificent Seven", they will remember a garbage film and that's what people will remember -- well done.
One Hell of a Ride
allstarrunner19 September 2016
Finally another great western movie!
To be sure, all the western clichés are found in this movie; and I don't have a problem with that! One of the things I liked best about this western was the pacing, sometimes I find westerns to be a little too slow (for my personal taste - subjective, I know) but I felt this movie nailed it, even with a run time a little over 2 hours.
The action scenes are great, very well done. The casting and acting was great - Denzel does a great job as the leader of this rag tag group of guys. Pratt, of course, nails the comedic relief role.
The movie carried a surprising amount of "heart" throughout it all the way to the end.
Here is the bottom line: Yes, this movie is worth your hard earned money to go see in the theater.
To be sure, all the western clichés are found in this movie; and I don't have a problem with that! One of the things I liked best about this western was the pacing, sometimes I find westerns to be a little too slow (for my personal taste - subjective, I know) but I felt this movie nailed it, even with a run time a little over 2 hours.
The action scenes are great, very well done. The casting and acting was great - Denzel does a great job as the leader of this rag tag group of guys. Pratt, of course, nails the comedic relief role.
The movie carried a surprising amount of "heart" throughout it all the way to the end.
Here is the bottom line: Yes, this movie is worth your hard earned money to go see in the theater.
Not quite the rising sun for the begotten genre but still a good entertainer
ctowyi22 September 2016
This multi-racial and ethnic cast may seem appropriate in these contemporary times but it is still a pale shadow compared to John Sturges' 1960 remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954). Not that it sucked though... it just made me reminisce so fondly the motley crew led by Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. Dammit... I can hear Elmer Bernstein's iconic theme soaring in my head now.
The story is the same - a town is under siege by a corrupt industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). The desperate townspeople employ the protection of Bob Chisolm (Denzel Washington) who then rounds up his crew of six - gambler magic-slicker Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a sharpshooter has-been Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), and his knife extraordinaire sidekick Billy Rocks (Lee Byung-Hun). Rounding out the rest of the titular seven are a Mexican outlaw named Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Native American named Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) and a mountain-man called Kingpin... Opps sorry, Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio). Not all of the seven will survive, but the town will be saved from the evil clutches.
How I wish I could say this is one rollicking, surprise-laden, potboiling action thriller, but I just can't in all honesty. I think it is because I grew up watching Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (1960), and these movies occupy a cozy room in my heart. I find myself just not magnanimous enough to being fair to Antoine Fuqua's remake. In all fairness, it is indeed a huge summer tentpole movie with the fun quotient dialled up and the action set-pieces revved up to the max. But IMHO the characters feel under-written and the camaraderie feels perfunctory. It is not that I need a backstory for everyone but a clever writer will make you identify with just one cool trait of each character and run with it. If you think back to John Sturges' film and I ring out all the actors' name, you can definitely see and feel that character in your head. When these characters eat lead, a lump forms in your throat. But I didn't feel any lumps here. I don't know... I think it is a tall order for me to displace the classic seven and align with everyone in this new seven. But I must say having Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt onboard is just awesome.
Fuqua excels in the action set-pieces, especially in the drawn-out final shootout. Every tenet of the genre can be seen here and a gleeful smile crept up on my face as one shot will floor a bad guy and yet another one drops down from the roof. My heart will whimsically shout out a yeah when yet another faceless slimeball gets flung down from his horse. That said, this new seven just couldn't touch the legacy of its more illustrious predecessors, let alone displace them. Even the music score by the late James Horner barely registered more than a blip in my consciousness. This, I am afraid, is hardly the Rising Sun for the begotten Western genre. No doubt, it is quite an entertainer though. Just don't expect anything more than that and you will be fine.
The story is the same - a town is under siege by a corrupt industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). The desperate townspeople employ the protection of Bob Chisolm (Denzel Washington) who then rounds up his crew of six - gambler magic-slicker Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a sharpshooter has-been Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), and his knife extraordinaire sidekick Billy Rocks (Lee Byung-Hun). Rounding out the rest of the titular seven are a Mexican outlaw named Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Native American named Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) and a mountain-man called Kingpin... Opps sorry, Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio). Not all of the seven will survive, but the town will be saved from the evil clutches.
How I wish I could say this is one rollicking, surprise-laden, potboiling action thriller, but I just can't in all honesty. I think it is because I grew up watching Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (1960), and these movies occupy a cozy room in my heart. I find myself just not magnanimous enough to being fair to Antoine Fuqua's remake. In all fairness, it is indeed a huge summer tentpole movie with the fun quotient dialled up and the action set-pieces revved up to the max. But IMHO the characters feel under-written and the camaraderie feels perfunctory. It is not that I need a backstory for everyone but a clever writer will make you identify with just one cool trait of each character and run with it. If you think back to John Sturges' film and I ring out all the actors' name, you can definitely see and feel that character in your head. When these characters eat lead, a lump forms in your throat. But I didn't feel any lumps here. I don't know... I think it is a tall order for me to displace the classic seven and align with everyone in this new seven. But I must say having Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt onboard is just awesome.
Fuqua excels in the action set-pieces, especially in the drawn-out final shootout. Every tenet of the genre can be seen here and a gleeful smile crept up on my face as one shot will floor a bad guy and yet another one drops down from the roof. My heart will whimsically shout out a yeah when yet another faceless slimeball gets flung down from his horse. That said, this new seven just couldn't touch the legacy of its more illustrious predecessors, let alone displace them. Even the music score by the late James Horner barely registered more than a blip in my consciousness. This, I am afraid, is hardly the Rising Sun for the begotten Western genre. No doubt, it is quite an entertainer though. Just don't expect anything more than that and you will be fine.
Good remake, lots of action, entertaining Western!
Whingewood29 September 2016
Yet another remake
but the trailers for this one were at least encouraging, especially with Denzel Washington playing the lead.
I have vague memories of seeing the original The Magnificent Seven, (which is in itself a re-imagining of Seven Samurai), and I seem to remember liking it. I think 56 years is long enough of a gap to justify a remake, so I'll give them a pass on this one (although you could argue that 1980's Battle Beyond the Stars was another Seven Samurai remake). So what was it like?
Each character was steadily added to the team, they had a bonding/preparing the town montage, the bad guys showed up, they shot each other a lot, characters were killed, the film ended. Pretty much what I was expecting, and that's fine.
Personally, I love Westerns (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of my favourite films ever), so for me this formula really worked. Is it going to win any awards? Probably not, but the performances were good (although it might be hard to argue that Chris Pratt was acting anything other than himself, which again, is fine), it looked good, and most importantly, I was entertained.
(From my blog site: whingewood.wordpress.com)
I have vague memories of seeing the original The Magnificent Seven, (which is in itself a re-imagining of Seven Samurai), and I seem to remember liking it. I think 56 years is long enough of a gap to justify a remake, so I'll give them a pass on this one (although you could argue that 1980's Battle Beyond the Stars was another Seven Samurai remake). So what was it like?
Each character was steadily added to the team, they had a bonding/preparing the town montage, the bad guys showed up, they shot each other a lot, characters were killed, the film ended. Pretty much what I was expecting, and that's fine.
Personally, I love Westerns (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of my favourite films ever), so for me this formula really worked. Is it going to win any awards? Probably not, but the performances were good (although it might be hard to argue that Chris Pratt was acting anything other than himself, which again, is fine), it looked good, and most importantly, I was entertained.
(From my blog site: whingewood.wordpress.com)
magnificent seven
marmar-6978024 April 2020
Maybe magnificent seven 2016 isnt close to be as good as original western but compared to many remakes and reboots of previous years,i must say that this film puts a dose of respect on its name and legacy,maybe that is becase fuqua give a very good direction and actors expecely denzel all give very enterteining performances ,cast and characters from 60s film is maybe more memorable and iconic but younger stars in this film proved that they can act,magnificent seven was a enterteining western and even if it is nothing new in genre it still took some old staff and put it in a modern world with a respect to source material and reminder that westerns arent dead yet
The Not so Magnificent Seven
TheLittleSongbird21 November 2017
A remake of a great film that is a remake of an even greater film (Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai'), there are worse remakes out there than 2016's 'The Magnificent Seven'. Primarily 'Psycho', 'The Wicker Man', 'Rollerball', 'Ghostbusters' and 'Stepford Wives'.
'The Magnificent Seven' has its strengths but fails to live up to its title and one does question the point of it. It is well made visually, with an atmospherically gritty look and an evocative setting. Some of the action excites and the direction has a dark grit that is typical of Antoine Fuqua. While it is nowhere near as unforgettable or as iconic as one of film's all time great scores, James Horner's score here is demonstrative of what a great talent he was and how his tragic far too early death is still a sad loss.
Casting is very variable, some of the acting is very good, some of it doesn't work. The best performances come from Denzel Washington, charismatic as ever, Ethan Hawke excelling in an atypical role and Haley Bennett mixing toughness and vulnerability adeptly. The most interesting character relationship is between Washington and Hawke and gives the film the few glimpses of realism and substance. Lee Byung-hun is also good fun.
Others don't fare so well, not helped by that most of the characters are not that interesting and sketchily developed. Didn't think either Chris Pratt or Vincent D'Onofrio, both decent and more in other things, fitted particularly well, Pratt especially jarred and his humorous lines lack wit and don't gel. Faring the worst is Peter Sarsgaard, who just isn't sinister or intense enough, even in a severely underwritten role he looks like he's sleepwalking.
While there's a lot of blood and violence, there is little soul or heart underneath and some of it is gratuitous. The dialogue is awkward, particularly the humour which falls flat and often feels misplaced. The story suffers from an overlong length, a sluggish pace, a lack of tension or suspense and heavy-handed and pointless political elements. Won't carp about the political correctness like some have but it doesn't add anything. The illogical and anaemic ending underwhelms drastically as well.
In summary, has its strengths but not so magnificent and one does question the point of it. 5/10 Bethany Cox
'The Magnificent Seven' has its strengths but fails to live up to its title and one does question the point of it. It is well made visually, with an atmospherically gritty look and an evocative setting. Some of the action excites and the direction has a dark grit that is typical of Antoine Fuqua. While it is nowhere near as unforgettable or as iconic as one of film's all time great scores, James Horner's score here is demonstrative of what a great talent he was and how his tragic far too early death is still a sad loss.
Casting is very variable, some of the acting is very good, some of it doesn't work. The best performances come from Denzel Washington, charismatic as ever, Ethan Hawke excelling in an atypical role and Haley Bennett mixing toughness and vulnerability adeptly. The most interesting character relationship is between Washington and Hawke and gives the film the few glimpses of realism and substance. Lee Byung-hun is also good fun.
Others don't fare so well, not helped by that most of the characters are not that interesting and sketchily developed. Didn't think either Chris Pratt or Vincent D'Onofrio, both decent and more in other things, fitted particularly well, Pratt especially jarred and his humorous lines lack wit and don't gel. Faring the worst is Peter Sarsgaard, who just isn't sinister or intense enough, even in a severely underwritten role he looks like he's sleepwalking.
While there's a lot of blood and violence, there is little soul or heart underneath and some of it is gratuitous. The dialogue is awkward, particularly the humour which falls flat and often feels misplaced. The story suffers from an overlong length, a sluggish pace, a lack of tension or suspense and heavy-handed and pointless political elements. Won't carp about the political correctness like some have but it doesn't add anything. The illogical and anaemic ending underwhelms drastically as well.
In summary, has its strengths but not so magnificent and one does question the point of it. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Emma....
denise-8815220 January 2022
My only critique is with the Emma character. She's supposedly a pioneering woman...tough no-nonsense. But her dress says otherwise. Off the shoulder, low cut? Not the reality of the day at that time. If y'all wanted sexy keep it authentic...not contrived out of Hollywood!
Really entertaining film.
israphel-535482 October 2016
This remake of the classic western film is an action-packed ride worth seeing on the big screen. The action scenes are really engaging and intense. I haven't seen the original so I don't know how much the plot changes but it can't be by that much.
Director Antoine Fuqua proves once again that he can direct a good action movie.
Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt were excellent in their roles as the heroes. The whole film is entertaining and fun.
Overall, The Magnificent Seven is a solid western film with enough action to entertain everyone although too violent for young children.
Director Antoine Fuqua proves once again that he can direct a good action movie.
Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt were excellent in their roles as the heroes. The whole film is entertaining and fun.
Overall, The Magnificent Seven is a solid western film with enough action to entertain everyone although too violent for young children.
"The Magnificent Seven" is a worthy successor to its 1960 namesake, but not quite what I'd call
well, you know.
dave-mcclain23 September 2016
Few remakes have such an impressive pedigree as 2016's "The Magnificent Seven" (PG-13, 2:12). It's a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which was a remake of Japan's "Seven Samurai" from 1954. The Japanese film was an original work of legendary director Akira Kurosawa, who co-wrote, directed and edited it. Critics consistently rank "Seven Samurai" as one of the greatest movies ever made. Just six years after that film, the original "The Magnificent Seven" became a classic in its own right, translating the action from feudal Japan to 19th century Mexico. That one starred Hollywood legends like Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn. The 2016 remake comes from acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day", "Brooklyn's Finest", "Southpaw") and stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio and Ethan Hawke. It also contains the last film score composed by James Horner (an Oscar-winner for "Titanic"), who died in a 2015 plane crash.
The 21st century version of "The Magnificent Seven" maintains the western motif, but moves the action north of the border. The tiny California town of Rose Creek is being terrorized by mining mogul Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who is just as likely to offer a pittance to buy out local farmers as he is to simply take their land – and kill anyone who so much as looks at him sideways. One of the townspeople by the name of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) offers all of the town's money to a bounty hunter called Sam Chisholm (Washington) to fight Bogue. The money gets Chisholm's attention, but he is also moved by compassion for the victims of Bogue's greed and violence – and has a very personal reason for agreeing to help. For this job, Chisholm gathers six more men: local gambler Josh Faraday (Pratt), skilled tracker Jack Horne (D'Onofrio), feared sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Hawke), lethal knife-fighter Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As a group, their skills are magnif VERY impressive.
Before the inevitable showdown with Bogue himself, the Seven have a number of obstacles to overcome. First, these very different men have to learn to get along – or, at least, trust each other. Then, they have to get past the mistrust and fear of the locals – who are far from united about how to deal with their situation. There's also the issue of the defense of the town requiring more than seven men (as mag skilled as they might be), so these hired guns set out to train the townsfolk to fight – or, at least, try to. Of course, when Bogue hears about all this, he's going to counter with a small army of his own, which is going to require resourcefulness and strategy on the part of the defenders of Rose Creek.
"The Magnificent Seven" is a worthy successor to its 1960 namesake, but not quite what I'd call well, you know. The ethnically and racially diverse cast (with actors actually matching the backgrounds of their characters) brings an interesting dynamic to the story (and better reflects the diversity of the Old West). Fuqua's direction and the screenplay adaptation by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk give us plenty of character development (maybe even a little too much) and the performances are all great – especially from the little-known Bennett. The characters and the plot are appropriately compelling, but some of the plot points strain credulity and the story still feels a bit stale. Fuqua tries to amp up the action with a high body count, showing us very little blood, but treating the dispatching of so many people (both bad guys and good guys), with a casualness that some Movie Fans will find disconcerting. This is quality cinematic entertainment, but runs longer and is more violent than necessary. Rather than "magnificent", I'd call it "very good" and give it a "B".
The 21st century version of "The Magnificent Seven" maintains the western motif, but moves the action north of the border. The tiny California town of Rose Creek is being terrorized by mining mogul Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who is just as likely to offer a pittance to buy out local farmers as he is to simply take their land – and kill anyone who so much as looks at him sideways. One of the townspeople by the name of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) offers all of the town's money to a bounty hunter called Sam Chisholm (Washington) to fight Bogue. The money gets Chisholm's attention, but he is also moved by compassion for the victims of Bogue's greed and violence – and has a very personal reason for agreeing to help. For this job, Chisholm gathers six more men: local gambler Josh Faraday (Pratt), skilled tracker Jack Horne (D'Onofrio), feared sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Hawke), lethal knife-fighter Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As a group, their skills are magnif VERY impressive.
Before the inevitable showdown with Bogue himself, the Seven have a number of obstacles to overcome. First, these very different men have to learn to get along – or, at least, trust each other. Then, they have to get past the mistrust and fear of the locals – who are far from united about how to deal with their situation. There's also the issue of the defense of the town requiring more than seven men (as mag skilled as they might be), so these hired guns set out to train the townsfolk to fight – or, at least, try to. Of course, when Bogue hears about all this, he's going to counter with a small army of his own, which is going to require resourcefulness and strategy on the part of the defenders of Rose Creek.
"The Magnificent Seven" is a worthy successor to its 1960 namesake, but not quite what I'd call well, you know. The ethnically and racially diverse cast (with actors actually matching the backgrounds of their characters) brings an interesting dynamic to the story (and better reflects the diversity of the Old West). Fuqua's direction and the screenplay adaptation by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk give us plenty of character development (maybe even a little too much) and the performances are all great – especially from the little-known Bennett. The characters and the plot are appropriately compelling, but some of the plot points strain credulity and the story still feels a bit stale. Fuqua tries to amp up the action with a high body count, showing us very little blood, but treating the dispatching of so many people (both bad guys and good guys), with a casualness that some Movie Fans will find disconcerting. This is quality cinematic entertainment, but runs longer and is more violent than necessary. Rather than "magnificent", I'd call it "very good" and give it a "B".
An energetic and highly entertaining Western.
Troy_Campbell29 September 2016
The Western has long become a rarity on the big screen, replaced over the last few decades as the dominant action genre first by bulging muscles and explosions, then by spandex and superpowers. So this big-budget remake of the 1960 classic comes as a welcome breath of tobacco-filled air, even if it doesn't quite live up to its predecessor. But as a piece of popcorn entertainment, it fires on all cylinders. Not surprisingly with Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, Shooter) calling the shots, subtlety is pushed aside for frenetic set pieces and belief-defying heroics, especially in the wild climactic showdown that demonstrates minimal CGI does not equal minimal fun. Amongst all the balletic gunplay and macho posturing there's a relatively simple story: town is overrun by a dastardly villain (Peter Sarsgaard oozing creepiness), town employs cowboys-for-hire (guess how many) for protection, town fights with said cowboys leading the way. That the plot requires little more explanation then that highlights the focus of the movie, for better and for worse, however the fact it never feels shallow or superficial can be attributed to the exhilarating action and the ultra-cool cast. And what a fantastic cast it is. Denzel Washington is reliably charismatic as the contemplative leader, Chris Pratt is magnetic as the group's joker, Ethan Hawke is intense as the tormented sniper, Byung-hun Lee is enigmatic as the blade-wielding assassin, Vincent D'Onofrio is intriguing as the philosophical killer and Haley Bennett is fierce as the townswoman who stands her ground. Best of all, the eclectic characters – also including Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as the rowdy Mexican and Martin Sensmeier as the Indian warrior – share a wonderful chemistry that makes them utterly watchable from start to finish. An energetic remake with style to spare, The Magnificent Seven is a rip-roaring adventure that'll please long-neglected Western fans to no end.
Ehhh good but not great...
OrigKRN9 October 2016
The movie was pretty good overall. It was a great western movie, with a great cast. The story itself was very simple, but interesting and it kept you on edge.
Action and characters were portrayed well. Each actor did a excellent job. The scenery was pretty accurate. It made you believe you were actually in a western town. Besides this though, there wasn't really anything more.
Now there were many downsides to this movie. The movie was fast paced, which kept you going. Which was good, the problem was it felt like the movie was cramped in. They should've made the movie longer. It felt like everything was rushed. The director should've focus more on the details. It didn't really show more specific parts that could've made the movie better. Everything was happening too quick. Movie should've slowed down and taken some time to really show what the scene was about. Instead it zoomed passed it.
In the end, the movie wasn't great but not bad. Thus earning a 7 star rating.
Action and characters were portrayed well. Each actor did a excellent job. The scenery was pretty accurate. It made you believe you were actually in a western town. Besides this though, there wasn't really anything more.
Now there were many downsides to this movie. The movie was fast paced, which kept you going. Which was good, the problem was it felt like the movie was cramped in. They should've made the movie longer. It felt like everything was rushed. The director should've focus more on the details. It didn't really show more specific parts that could've made the movie better. Everything was happening too quick. Movie should've slowed down and taken some time to really show what the scene was about. Instead it zoomed passed it.
In the end, the movie wasn't great but not bad. Thus earning a 7 star rating.
A lot of fun
kees_cornelisse47720 September 2016
After I saw the trailer of the movie I was expecting a fun western with just good action and nice characters because the cast is great on paper, but then the question of course is if it also works for the movie. Well for me it worked. I just had a lot of fun with it.
I have to say that I haven't seen the original movies that this is a remake of so I didn't have that to compare it to, therefore if I compare it to something, I compare it to other movies I have seen.
Because the movie has a lot of things I have already seen in other movies (I won't say what because that may be considered spoiling the movie). Therefore the story isn't what makes this movie and if you're looking for a great story, the movie might not be for you.
What the movie does have first of all is a great cast that delivers. Denzel Washington gives the best performance of the movie by far but also Chris Pratt shows that Guardians wasn't a fluke, Hawke, D'Onofrio and just the entire cast works very well together for this nice team of 7 misfits that has to save the town.
Also the action is great, it's very true to the old westerns. There are some very tense stand-offs and when the shooting starts, the action is fantastically shot, directed and just well executed.
And the movie has a good sense of humor, there are good comedic moments that give good levity to the movie.
Because the movie actually is pretty towards an R-rated movie, it has some harsh and brutal things happening that might not be for kids. It's one of the most mature PG-13 movies I have seen.
All in all, the Magnificent Seven is a fun time in the theater, probably not as good as the original but better than most remakes these days (looking at you Ghostbusters) and I give it an 8.5/10
I have to say that I haven't seen the original movies that this is a remake of so I didn't have that to compare it to, therefore if I compare it to something, I compare it to other movies I have seen.
Because the movie has a lot of things I have already seen in other movies (I won't say what because that may be considered spoiling the movie). Therefore the story isn't what makes this movie and if you're looking for a great story, the movie might not be for you.
What the movie does have first of all is a great cast that delivers. Denzel Washington gives the best performance of the movie by far but also Chris Pratt shows that Guardians wasn't a fluke, Hawke, D'Onofrio and just the entire cast works very well together for this nice team of 7 misfits that has to save the town.
Also the action is great, it's very true to the old westerns. There are some very tense stand-offs and when the shooting starts, the action is fantastically shot, directed and just well executed.
And the movie has a good sense of humor, there are good comedic moments that give good levity to the movie.
Because the movie actually is pretty towards an R-rated movie, it has some harsh and brutal things happening that might not be for kids. It's one of the most mature PG-13 movies I have seen.
All in all, the Magnificent Seven is a fun time in the theater, probably not as good as the original but better than most remakes these days (looking at you Ghostbusters) and I give it an 8.5/10
Decent remake about some villagers who hire tough gunslingers to organize the defense their village against a ruthless owner
ma-cortes19 October 2016
This is an acceptable version to superior and enduringly popular film , ¨The Magnificent seven¨(1960) . Enjoyable remake to the classic ¨Magnificent seven¨ is well played by Denzel Washington as a brave gunfighter named Chisolm (Denzel's first western film) who along with Faraday (Chris Pratt's first Western movie) , and their group (Ethan Hawke , Vincent D'Onofrio , Byung-Hun Lee , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Martin Sensmeier) set off in rescue some besieged villagers . One day a corrupt landowner called Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard as an extremely nasty land baron) comes and takes most of proprieties and lands from the small town called Rose Creek . Then Chisolm is approached by the townsfolk , Emma (Haley Bennett) and Teddy (Luke Grimes) , who explain the little town's situation and their desperation in finding someone who can help . Chisolm agrees to help them and he reunites seven gun men . In the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves . As Chris and his buddies , each of whom comes for a different reason , must free a village attacked by heinous outlaws who are devastating the small location . All of them get a chance to redeem themselves . Later on , the group develops a plan to secure the villagers defend it against enemy attack .
Chisholm character was compellingly played by Denzel Washington , previously played by Yul Brynner , as Chris , in two occasions and one performed by Lee Van Cleef and George Kennedy . Denzel as a two-fisted bounty hunter is very good . Producer Walter Mirisch had the idea of doing a Western adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's classic , The seven Samurais , but this time performed in the main role by an African-American . The film reunites Denzel Washington with Ethan Hawke and Antoine Faqua whom Washington had worked with on Training Day (2001) , Hawke co-starred in Brooklyn's finest (2009), and Washington starred in The Equalizer (2014) . The story is classic and traditional , following its interesting premise in subsequent sequels , including customary misfit band formed by an eclectic gang with diverse characters as well as speciality . The film gets Western action , exciting riding , shootouts , it's fun and entertaining , although nothing new , being a remake from a famous Japanese picture , but displays a slight as well as violent style . The movie contains some moment of violence and even touching on the relationships between the villagers and the Magnificent . Walter Bernstein did the original adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's film , The seven Samurais , but it wasn't used ; in this retelling Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk -taking parts here and there- wrote the screenplay that is substantially what you see on screen . Here appear several secondary actors who give adequate interpretations , such as : Haley Bennett , Cam Gigandet , Matt Bomer , Luke Grimes , William Lee Scott , among others . In addition , being one of the few Western movies where an actor's ethnicity matches their character's , as 'Martin Sensmeier' is Native Alaskan (Tlingit) and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico . It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by Mario Fiore . Thrilling and exciting musical score by recently deceased James Horner , in fact this was James Horner's final composition before his death . He had previously composed the soundtrack of Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) which was a futuristic remake of Seven Samurai (1954) , which The Magnificent Seven (1960) was also a remake . The theme song from the original Magnificent Seven (1960) by Elmer Bernstein being played during the end credits .
Walter Mirish, the executive producer of this film , and one of the most successful independent film producers in Hollywood in the 1960s , was already involved in the previous feature : Magnificent Seven , back in 1960 . Many decades after its release , Mirisch still holds The magnificent Seven in high regard . This John Sturges film (196o) was starred by Yul Brynner , Steve MacQueen , Charles Bronson , Rovert Vaughn , Brad Dexter , is equally remake of ¨The seven samurais¨ (Akira Kurosawa) starred by Toshiro Miphune . After that , followed ¨The return of the seven¨ (Burt Kennedy , 1966), again with Yul Brynner with other surviving members of The Seven as Jordan Christopher , Claude Akins , Robert Fuller , Julian Mateos , Emilio Fernandez , Rodolfo Acosta . It was followed by ¨Guns of the magnificent seven¨ (Paul Wendkos,1969) with George Kennedy as Chris , James Whitmore , Monte Markham , Reni Santoni , Bernie Casey and Joe Don Baker and finally ¨The Magnificent seven ride¨ by George McCowan with Lee Van Cleef as Chris , James B. Sikking , Ralph Waite , William Lucking , and continued with a TV series and a Television movie realized in 1998 , being also produced by Walter Mirish , as usual . The motion picture was stunningly directed directed by Antonie Fuqua . This good Western is a Denzel Washington vehicle , if you like his particular performance , you'll enjoy this one .
Chisholm character was compellingly played by Denzel Washington , previously played by Yul Brynner , as Chris , in two occasions and one performed by Lee Van Cleef and George Kennedy . Denzel as a two-fisted bounty hunter is very good . Producer Walter Mirisch had the idea of doing a Western adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's classic , The seven Samurais , but this time performed in the main role by an African-American . The film reunites Denzel Washington with Ethan Hawke and Antoine Faqua whom Washington had worked with on Training Day (2001) , Hawke co-starred in Brooklyn's finest (2009), and Washington starred in The Equalizer (2014) . The story is classic and traditional , following its interesting premise in subsequent sequels , including customary misfit band formed by an eclectic gang with diverse characters as well as speciality . The film gets Western action , exciting riding , shootouts , it's fun and entertaining , although nothing new , being a remake from a famous Japanese picture , but displays a slight as well as violent style . The movie contains some moment of violence and even touching on the relationships between the villagers and the Magnificent . Walter Bernstein did the original adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's film , The seven Samurais , but it wasn't used ; in this retelling Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk -taking parts here and there- wrote the screenplay that is substantially what you see on screen . Here appear several secondary actors who give adequate interpretations , such as : Haley Bennett , Cam Gigandet , Matt Bomer , Luke Grimes , William Lee Scott , among others . In addition , being one of the few Western movies where an actor's ethnicity matches their character's , as 'Martin Sensmeier' is Native Alaskan (Tlingit) and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico . It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by Mario Fiore . Thrilling and exciting musical score by recently deceased James Horner , in fact this was James Horner's final composition before his death . He had previously composed the soundtrack of Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) which was a futuristic remake of Seven Samurai (1954) , which The Magnificent Seven (1960) was also a remake . The theme song from the original Magnificent Seven (1960) by Elmer Bernstein being played during the end credits .
Walter Mirish, the executive producer of this film , and one of the most successful independent film producers in Hollywood in the 1960s , was already involved in the previous feature : Magnificent Seven , back in 1960 . Many decades after its release , Mirisch still holds The magnificent Seven in high regard . This John Sturges film (196o) was starred by Yul Brynner , Steve MacQueen , Charles Bronson , Rovert Vaughn , Brad Dexter , is equally remake of ¨The seven samurais¨ (Akira Kurosawa) starred by Toshiro Miphune . After that , followed ¨The return of the seven¨ (Burt Kennedy , 1966), again with Yul Brynner with other surviving members of The Seven as Jordan Christopher , Claude Akins , Robert Fuller , Julian Mateos , Emilio Fernandez , Rodolfo Acosta . It was followed by ¨Guns of the magnificent seven¨ (Paul Wendkos,1969) with George Kennedy as Chris , James Whitmore , Monte Markham , Reni Santoni , Bernie Casey and Joe Don Baker and finally ¨The Magnificent seven ride¨ by George McCowan with Lee Van Cleef as Chris , James B. Sikking , Ralph Waite , William Lucking , and continued with a TV series and a Television movie realized in 1998 , being also produced by Walter Mirish , as usual . The motion picture was stunningly directed directed by Antonie Fuqua . This good Western is a Denzel Washington vehicle , if you like his particular performance , you'll enjoy this one .
It's Magnificently Good..!!
yonathanlesmana30 September 2016
I have watched Kurosawa's masterpiece before and nothing will ever close to it, especially when we put the year of production into consideration. It so amazing what Kurosawa could do at that time with so many limitation in technology.
But let's stop comparing this movie with the old good "Seven Samurai". If I look this movie as just a movie (without consider it as a remake of something else), Magnificent Seven is a good cowboy movie.
I love Denzel's acting in this movie. His character is so strong. Ethan Hawke has the right face and attitude to become Goodnight. Great casts!
Chris Pratt is superb too. He brings the cheerful ambiance into this movie. His lines and jokes fit him well.
Well, one character that's not built right is Red Harvest. He lack of background story, make his character felt blunt, no attachment with the others or with audiences.
But overall, this is a very good movie. It brings me smile, and excitement. Cowboys fight is always good to watch, but never this good.
I personally love it! And will consider to re-watch it again in later time.
But let's stop comparing this movie with the old good "Seven Samurai". If I look this movie as just a movie (without consider it as a remake of something else), Magnificent Seven is a good cowboy movie.
I love Denzel's acting in this movie. His character is so strong. Ethan Hawke has the right face and attitude to become Goodnight. Great casts!
Chris Pratt is superb too. He brings the cheerful ambiance into this movie. His lines and jokes fit him well.
Well, one character that's not built right is Red Harvest. He lack of background story, make his character felt blunt, no attachment with the others or with audiences.
But overall, this is a very good movie. It brings me smile, and excitement. Cowboys fight is always good to watch, but never this good.
I personally love it! And will consider to re-watch it again in later time.
Modern soft touch remake
TomWest8322 September 2016
This is a remake with a nice soft touch too it. Very nicely put together with great cinematic scenes. Perfect music and sound with the entire classic western style theme needed for the old west to come at you. Mixed with some good modern day high paced action make this a nice late summer action movie.
It was entertaining and I enjoyed it (maybe the free scotch at the gala event helped a bit on the mood). It wasn't too long or too short, and was never bored at any point. Not to long drawn out an introduction to the bunch of characters. I personally enjoyed Chris Pratt & Vincent D'Onofrio's characters the most and really had some good laughs from what these two characters brought with them.
Though I sort had wished a bit more from Ethan Hawke and his character Goodnight Robicheaux. Part of him was sort of left out of the movie.
The movie sort of missed something towards the end. For me it was at times too predictable a script which is why I give it 7 out of 10. Overall it is a good movie which is definitely worth heading towards a movie theater for.
It was entertaining and I enjoyed it (maybe the free scotch at the gala event helped a bit on the mood). It wasn't too long or too short, and was never bored at any point. Not to long drawn out an introduction to the bunch of characters. I personally enjoyed Chris Pratt & Vincent D'Onofrio's characters the most and really had some good laughs from what these two characters brought with them.
Though I sort had wished a bit more from Ethan Hawke and his character Goodnight Robicheaux. Part of him was sort of left out of the movie.
The movie sort of missed something towards the end. For me it was at times too predictable a script which is why I give it 7 out of 10. Overall it is a good movie which is definitely worth heading towards a movie theater for.
A 6 if you didn't see the original a 4 if you did
aj121824 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The third American remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. It has a great deal of the same issues but they are exacerbated in this third iteration. This movie of the three has weakest storytelling but some of the best action, but it doesn't feel like a western. And it isn't quite an action movie instead it is this kind of middle ground that just makes the movie feel lost and out of place. And that is one of the over arching issues with this movie, it doesn't know what it wants to be.
*LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW*
Everyone besides Denzel Washington has no motivation. The big bad guy an evil corporate industrialist (who honestly gains nothing by destroying the town...he has the mine rights already and would greatly benefit from having a town nearby) decides to destroy the town, murder half the inhabitants and set the church on fire in the first 5 min...just so you know he is evil. Chris Pratt's character Faraday is motivated to get his horse back and an obscure promise of some payout. But he realizes early on that he has his horse back and the payout isn't that much, so he kind of stays and dies for no reason. Ethen Hawke's "Goodnight" and Byung-hun Lee's "Billie" show up because Denzel asked nicely (again no talk of a payout). And this repeats itself with the rest of the characters, (except for the good Comanche Indian Denzel ate a raw deer liver so they became be-sties). And it gets worse because all the magnificent seven are the same stereotypes you have seen in Hollywood since the 70's. Mountain Man into Jesus, Noble Indian Savage, Mexican Bandit, Confederate Soldier with PTSD, Gambling Cowboy, token woman that can shoot, Asain samurai with a pistol, and the only real character Denzel Washington as Chisolm.
The action in this movie is however fast paced and over the top...Think of a western "SHOOT EM UP" and you have it. They do not use the traditional idea of western movies that build up the tension over the course of a movie. It is suddenly, Chris Pratt kills 8 bad guys in 15 seconds. Billie (the samurai gunslinger) runs in the open and stabs 4 cowboys with knives (despite having two pistols), and Mountain Man tackles a horse (despite having a pistol, rifle, tomahawk, knife etc). It is cool to watch but will have you at moments go WTF.
If you think about the story you will have a bad time. If you want realistic western action you will have a bad time. If you want a mediocre action movie that takes place in a western town, this could be worth a shot but only if you watch during a matinée. It doesn't hold a candle to the original (1960). But it does have better action than the 1998 one...but the story is worse. So it is basically on the same level as the made to TV movie.
*LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW*
Everyone besides Denzel Washington has no motivation. The big bad guy an evil corporate industrialist (who honestly gains nothing by destroying the town...he has the mine rights already and would greatly benefit from having a town nearby) decides to destroy the town, murder half the inhabitants and set the church on fire in the first 5 min...just so you know he is evil. Chris Pratt's character Faraday is motivated to get his horse back and an obscure promise of some payout. But he realizes early on that he has his horse back and the payout isn't that much, so he kind of stays and dies for no reason. Ethen Hawke's "Goodnight" and Byung-hun Lee's "Billie" show up because Denzel asked nicely (again no talk of a payout). And this repeats itself with the rest of the characters, (except for the good Comanche Indian Denzel ate a raw deer liver so they became be-sties). And it gets worse because all the magnificent seven are the same stereotypes you have seen in Hollywood since the 70's. Mountain Man into Jesus, Noble Indian Savage, Mexican Bandit, Confederate Soldier with PTSD, Gambling Cowboy, token woman that can shoot, Asain samurai with a pistol, and the only real character Denzel Washington as Chisolm.
The action in this movie is however fast paced and over the top...Think of a western "SHOOT EM UP" and you have it. They do not use the traditional idea of western movies that build up the tension over the course of a movie. It is suddenly, Chris Pratt kills 8 bad guys in 15 seconds. Billie (the samurai gunslinger) runs in the open and stabs 4 cowboys with knives (despite having two pistols), and Mountain Man tackles a horse (despite having a pistol, rifle, tomahawk, knife etc). It is cool to watch but will have you at moments go WTF.
If you think about the story you will have a bad time. If you want realistic western action you will have a bad time. If you want a mediocre action movie that takes place in a western town, this could be worth a shot but only if you watch during a matinée. It doesn't hold a candle to the original (1960). But it does have better action than the 1998 one...but the story is worse. So it is basically on the same level as the made to TV movie.
Not a classic, but an entertaining, enjoyable western!
jellyneckr25 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
There was no real need to remake The Magnificent Seven. The original film (which itself was a remake of The Seven Samuri) still holds up and is considered a classic after all these years. Still, with the financial incentive to capitalize on old titles in their library, MGM went ahead and remade another property with brand name recognition. While the end result is yet another totally pointless remake, 2016's The Magnificent Seven is well made, fairly entertaining, and often better than it should be.
To director Antoine Fuqua's advantage, westerns are rarely seen on the big screen these days, so even though The Magnificent Seven is wholly unoriginal, it at least doesn't feel like the type of movie that opens up every single weekend. The western locations and set design are visually impressive: beautiful, never fake-looking, and lovingly shot. It's nice to see an action film in which most of the actual action takes place during the day with clear light in almost every scene as opposed to the darkness that is so common action cinema of this decade. Although some of editing is a bit too quick for my liking (probably a result of wanting to maintain a PG-13 rating), the action scenes are nonetheless thrilling and should satisfy the target audience.
Despite a two-hour running time, the film never outstays its welcome and has a nice balance of character moments, action, and even some great jokes courtesy of Chris Pratt. Though marketed as an ensemble, the film really belongs to both Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Both actors play their roles as one would expect, though there could have been more scenes of just the two of them, as they easily have the best chemistry together out of any of the other actors in the film. The rest of the magnificent seven members don't get enough screen time to be considered three-dimensional, but they don't feel particularly wasted either. Ethan Hawke does a good job as the gunfighter who is sick of seeing violence. Haley Bennett is the only substantial female character in the film, and is responsible for some of the best scenes in the movie. Peter Sarsgaard has a pretty great turn as the main villain. The cast, for most part, is well suited for their roles. However, the film's one big drawback is in Vincent D'Onofrio's character. I've always felt D'Onofrio is often too over-the-top in his performances, and that is especially true here. Speaking in an annoying, indistinct voice and physically bigger than ever, D'Onofrio's character seems completely out of place standing next to the other characters, and his "quirky" antics feel like ones that would have been left on the cutting room floor if he wasn't considered a big name.
D'Onofrio's grating performance aside, The Magnificent Seven is pretty consistently good popcorn entertainment. It's perhaps a little disappointing that the script credited to "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk doesn't contain more surprises, but I guess there's only so much one can play with the western formula when doing a Magnificent Seven remake. The Magnificent Seven is not going to be considered a classic like the 1960 film, though it's likely to be remembered for being one of the few successful westerns put out by Hollywood in the 2010s. 7/10
To director Antoine Fuqua's advantage, westerns are rarely seen on the big screen these days, so even though The Magnificent Seven is wholly unoriginal, it at least doesn't feel like the type of movie that opens up every single weekend. The western locations and set design are visually impressive: beautiful, never fake-looking, and lovingly shot. It's nice to see an action film in which most of the actual action takes place during the day with clear light in almost every scene as opposed to the darkness that is so common action cinema of this decade. Although some of editing is a bit too quick for my liking (probably a result of wanting to maintain a PG-13 rating), the action scenes are nonetheless thrilling and should satisfy the target audience.
Despite a two-hour running time, the film never outstays its welcome and has a nice balance of character moments, action, and even some great jokes courtesy of Chris Pratt. Though marketed as an ensemble, the film really belongs to both Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. Both actors play their roles as one would expect, though there could have been more scenes of just the two of them, as they easily have the best chemistry together out of any of the other actors in the film. The rest of the magnificent seven members don't get enough screen time to be considered three-dimensional, but they don't feel particularly wasted either. Ethan Hawke does a good job as the gunfighter who is sick of seeing violence. Haley Bennett is the only substantial female character in the film, and is responsible for some of the best scenes in the movie. Peter Sarsgaard has a pretty great turn as the main villain. The cast, for most part, is well suited for their roles. However, the film's one big drawback is in Vincent D'Onofrio's character. I've always felt D'Onofrio is often too over-the-top in his performances, and that is especially true here. Speaking in an annoying, indistinct voice and physically bigger than ever, D'Onofrio's character seems completely out of place standing next to the other characters, and his "quirky" antics feel like ones that would have been left on the cutting room floor if he wasn't considered a big name.
D'Onofrio's grating performance aside, The Magnificent Seven is pretty consistently good popcorn entertainment. It's perhaps a little disappointing that the script credited to "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk doesn't contain more surprises, but I guess there's only so much one can play with the western formula when doing a Magnificent Seven remake. The Magnificent Seven is not going to be considered a classic like the 1960 film, though it's likely to be remembered for being one of the few successful westerns put out by Hollywood in the 2010s. 7/10
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