The Magnificent Seven

The Equalizer times seven. Fuqua doesn't show off that much, and so he only pulls a truly sovereign treat out of his sleeve once. The rest of it is standard action routine that's hidden far below his directorial standards, making the central seven whine even more in their uninterestingness, where about 1.5 charisma works in the flatness of the coffin planks. I've managed to miss out on the original for years, so I was expecting more of a B-action orgy in a Wild West setting than a major creative comparison, but the rescue of the White House chief worked more sovereignly. (09/22/2016)

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)

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 Magnificent Seven, a deep-rooted concept in the world of cinema, an immortal opus that became a benchmark of the genre. Remaking this legend automatically confronted the filmmakers with a problem, the failure of which I felt almost constantly throughout the film. The problem was to make it a dynamic western, complex enough to satisfy contemporary audiences spoiled by the golden age of film technology, that at the same time would be a little old-fashioned and not too auteur-driven to satisfy die-hard fans of the original and classic western as such. Its failure could be tolerated just fine under the right circumstances, especially considering my personal sympathies for the cast and crew, some of director Fuqua's earlier work, and the tragically deceased composer Horner, who managed to flesh out the original legendary melody into a rather impressive atmospheric medley of his tried-and-true themes from Enemy at the Gates and Avatar. What bothered me a lot, though, was the terribly predictable layout of the script, which, while trying to dress up the original story in an unadorned modern garb and give the characters different motivations for their impossible heroic act, repeatedly applies the cheapest adventure movie clichés and uses an utterly primitive development formula that could have gone something like this: A) sparking the conflict and motivating the handsome heroine to seek revenge; B) persuasion: first the heroine persuades the protagonist to protect the locals, and then travels the country looking for help; C) finding and training the villagers; d) the final battle. Four stages of the story and, unfortunately, nothing in between to highlight them in any way on an emotional, psychological or narrative level. The main villain just acts expediently to give the "good guys" as much motivation as possible, and the group of intrepid gunslingers agree without any hesitation to take part in a mission that means almost certain death. On top of that, the titular seven, who in the original film where made up of distinct and complementary characters, now suspiciously merge into one characteristically unidirectional, but ethnically well-mixed cultural stew, from which we remember in hindsight perhaps only the carefree grin of Chris Pratt or the nervous grimaces of the only potentially contradictory figure, Ethan Hawk. As expected, the only thing that really makes the film worth watching is the fantastic audiovisual aspect, which means the two central shootouts are a truly intoxicating western experience, while the trivial riding scenes across the typical Wild West landscape are also a feast for the eyes thanks to the beautiful photography, or, specifically, Denzel Washington's final mid-shot as he emerges from the house to meet his arch rival, shot from a majestic overhead and with dust swirling against a sunlit backdrop – certainly one of the freshest shots of the year. (09/27/2016)

From the very beginning I was against a remake, but in the end I took pity on it because Pizzolatto wrote the screenplay, although clearly some cuts have been made, some motifs are not developed at all and so it certainly isn’t one of the strengths of the entire project. Capitalism presented as a villain, gradual recruitment and even the diverse seven somehow work. But the massacre in the finale is this year’s action treat. The cast is pleasant, Pratt is really fine. It can’t compete with the original, but I understand the idea of giving the Magnificent Seven a modern overcoat. So far, so good. (09/27/2016)