The Magnificent Seven

Although the original is a film of my youth, I was very pleased with the remake and can declare it a success! The Magnificent Seven is my very first movie in the cinema without any subtitle support, so I might have missed some of the jokes, but I still enjoyed it to the max. The cast is excellent, with the best being Denzel Washington, who enjoys the role to the hilt, he is natural and looks like he was born in Western, his ultimate mode in the finale is a joy to watch. Chris Pratt is a decent second to him, he is definitely a new star, a likable man guy full of charisma who entertains the audience with his humour and magic (we will see a lot more interesting things from him in the future). I personally enjoyed Byeong-heon Lee, he warmed my Asian heart with his knife tricks, which again was a joy to watch. Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio didn't shine too much. In terms of action, there are only two major set-pieces, with the final one being perhaps half an hour long and the biggest roar in the wild west we've ever seen. Very intense, explosive, suspenseful, loud and emotional! I found the original better in story building and character introduction, but here the action was more polished and the visuals more stylish (which makes sense). I recommend it. Story 6/10, Atmosphere 9/10, Gore 3/10, Visuals 9/10, Action 10/10, Suspense 8/10, Humor 6/10. Entertainment 8/10, Scares 0/10. 85%. (09/30/2016)

I'm not for banning anything; creators should have freedom as long as they're not infringing on anyone's rights, but making remakes of films like The Magnificent Seven, especially a film that is itself a remake, is just odd. The new film absolutely lacks any atmosphere; I didn't get a sense of the Wild West or get closer to the characters at all. Points are only awarded for the shootouts, which, on the other hand, are absolutely fantastic. (01/16/2017)

The title makes the film a disservice than anything else. For example, many viewers would have taken it better to call it "Fast and Brisk", and without the inevitable (whether greater or lesser) disappointment that the duo of absolute classic movies of the silver screen, which have survived and will survive for decades, is remade in the form of an disposal relaxing movie that will soon be forgotten. On the other hand, there is the not inconsiderable fact that although it is a western second-rate one-time watch, it is a surprisingly fun and properly driven Western second-rate one-time watch, which is not afraid to use the screen to the fullest. In other words, it is consumable and unnecessary, but not bad. And in purely genre moments (graded tension before the first big shootout, etc.) it will keep you entertained. That´s for sure. (09/26/2016)

Condemning it because of nostalgia or resistance to correctness is, of course, stupid. The film has problems elsewhere. The cast is strong, but Fuqua doesn't get much out of it, especially in the first half, just a demonstration of photogenic faces and poses. Things come to light in the final battle, and until then, sometimes a one-liner here and there sparkles, which Nic Pizzolatto knows how to write. The last third is a pleasant old-school battle with a good pace and quite pleasantly chosen deaths in the group. The problem of The Magnificent Seven is precisely that they are somehow indecisively straddled between a classic western and a buddy action film with a more modern style. When in the end there is a "Technicolor" palette with tombs and the notorious melody of Elmer Bernstein, it feels completely false. The golden age of the western is gone and this group rather swiftly passed it by. Which, given its composition, is actually too little. Sympathetic *** (12/31/2016)

It's not a bad film, I'll probably like it even more the second time around, because it's not about anything other than entertaining the viewer and not embarrassing itself, and that's a pretty sympathetic approach. Still, I'm sorry that there wasn't a more imaginative remake that would have put The Magnificent Seven in a different setting - it could have been a gangster movie, a story from the Second World War, a Cold War retro, sci-fi from another planet... Look what Pixar did with that tired plot in A Bug's Life. (02/16/2017)