Antoine Fuqua and co. try hard in this remake of a classic, but you’re better off saving the money and just renting the original film instead.
In today’s Hollywood, the main question that’s always asked is…why? Why do studios feel the need to continue to make remake after remake? But, here we are with Hollywood’s newest remake: The Magnificent Seven. Antoine Fuqua, best known for his work on Training Day, is able to at least make The Magnificent Seven a pretty fun experience. With Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt leading the way, audiences are given the chance to be entertained. But just because a movie ends up being watchable, is that enough of a reason to remake a classic?
Industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) and his gang have been terrorizing an American down due to their misfortune of being next to a mine that he has been plundering. Making their lives a living hell, one member of the town, Emma (Haley Bennett), has decided she’s suffered through enough. Emma goes out to try and find someone willing to help out her and her townspeople, encounter Bounty Hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) in the process. When asking if she wants revenge, Emma responds, “I seek righteousness. But I’ll take revenge.” That’s enough to convince him to help her out, so the two set out to round out the rest of their team to take on Bogue’s gang. The remaining members consist of gambler Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), assassin Billy Rocks, outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier).
Going back to the question asked earlier, no. What was out on screen was not enough of a reason to bring back The Magnificent Seven. It doesn’t matter that Denzel and Pratt make the movie watchable and that Fuqua is able to put together some semblance of a movie. The Magnificent Seven is, no doubt, better than most remakes put together and for that everyone involved does deserve credit. At the least, The Magnificent Seven does a well enough job of capturing the charm presented in classic Western films.
There really just wasn’t anything original or innovative with this remake though. The only thing the remake may have over the original film is the diversity within the cast. Each member played their role well, but nothing was memorable about their performances or about the movie itself. It’s possible The Magnificent Seven could do well this September, especially since there doesn’t seem to be much competition at the box office. And audiences will probably like it well enough, especially with how Chris Pratt’s star power has just gone through the roof. But for audiences who are hoping that The Magnificent Seven will do a good job at recapturing what made the original film great, I think I’d pass.
The Magnificent Seven is directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk, and stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard. The Magnificent Seven is in theaters September 23, 2016.
