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