I won tickets on Twitter to watch The Magnificent Seven tonight so I thought I’d try a unique review.
I decided to try a before-and-after approach where I begin by sharing my expectations and hopes. Later tonight, once I’ve watched the movie, I will share whether those were met or not.
Before
You had me at Chris Pratt. I discovered him playing Andy Dwyer, the irritating boyfriend of Rashida Jones’ character Ann Perkins in the American sitcom Parks and Recreation. He was the most annoying thing about the program and I really didn’t like him. Then, in season two, all of a sudden, it was like they figured him out and he became an absolute fan favourite and I was hooked.
He was launched on to the big screen playing Starlord in the incredible Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy and in the same year was a breakout hit as Emmet in The Lego Movie. Bouncing from there into the Jurassic Park reboot, Chris Pratt suddenly had Hollywood at his feet.
Throw Denzel Washington into the mix and a touch of Ethan Hawke in a classic Western remake and what is not to like. Especially when the trailer makes it look like one of the most gritty action-packed movies of the year. With an esteemed director in Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Olympus has Fallen) it really seems like this is going to be a qualified hit.
Despite being a reboot, the original (which was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai) released in 1960, and so it doesn’t carry the same kind of concern as a Spiderman or Batman, coming a few years after the previous one. With legends like Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronon and James Coburn it became immensely popular and this one looks like it will be the same.
Hollywood tends to dabble in the Western genre every couple of years, which means it feels quite fresh when one does come out. So I have huge expectation for what we are going to see later tonight.
After
“If any underdog sporting movie had a baby with any Quentin Tarentino movie” is how my wife, tbV (the beautiful Val) described what we just watched. And she is not far off.
My Twitter response upon walking out of The Magnificent Seven after it had finished was simply: Now that was a western.
Bear in mind that it was directed by Antonie Fuqua and so it’s not a gentle family western. People die, and some quite violently. But on the whole that was everything I look for in a movie in terms of pure entertainment, fun and action.
From the panoramic views to the powerfully western soundtrack to the way in which each and every supporting cast member adds to the overall story, it is obvious that Antonie Fuqua is weaving this tale together with all the resources at his disposal.
Special shout out must go to Peter Sarsgaard who steals a lot of the movie as the villainous Bartholomew Bogue. He is excellent as the evil industrialist who has the town at his mercy before our heroes arrive.
So highly recommended, and a great addition to the modern western genre of western movies such as True Grit and Django Unchained. I’m not convinced it added too much to the original but rather brought a great story to the screen for a new generation.
One of the biggest themes explored in The Magnificent Seven is motivation as each of the fighters has their own reasons for being involved and many of them carry scars both literally and figuratively from the past that helped them become the men they end up being. Boasting a diverse cast and also a lead woman, Emma Cullen who hires the group (played strongly by Haley Bennett) who is not stereotyped but right in the middle of the action, The Magnificent Seven also manages to stay clear of being a typical gang of white guys riding in to save the day.
Do it. Watch it. And let us know what you think. For me, from start to finish, it was a great and entertaining watch.