Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 14, 2016

Now this is a remake. Forget the try-hard Ben-Hur; Director Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven nails the process, taking the original (which is itself a re-imagining of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai) and not exactly repurposing it, but slicking it up just enough for modern audiences while remaining faithful to both the source and the greater Western genre. It finds that happy medium middle ground between classic and contemporary, light and serious, fundamentally faithful and fluidly original. Perhaps more than anything else that makes the movie a success -- its authentic period feel, performances, score, cinematography -- it's the obvious love with which it's been crafted, a love of the material and the genre alike that helps the movie overcome any nitpick-y shortcomings in its translation to 2016. Fuqua gives himself plenty of room to play by respecting the past and making the movie his own, but still texturally and, mostly, fundamentally a classic Western in every way beyond the date it was made and some of the snappier filmmaking techniques that only enhance the movie, not overwhelm or lessen it.

The dusty, middle-of-nowhere town of Rose Creek finds itself under the oppressive thumb of corrupt businessman Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) who holds the town at literal and figurative gunpoint. Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), widow of one of Bogue's victims, seeks aid from an outside source to protect the town and drive Bogue and his men away. She meets Sam Chisholm (Denzel Washington), a man serving warrants whose interest in piqued when he hears the details. Chisholm assembles a ragtag band of men with varied skill sets and a willingness to aid him, and the people of Rose Creek, in the mission: a card shark and gunslinger named Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), land man Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), marksman Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Comanche named Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), and an expert knife-thrower named Billy Rocks (Lee Byung-hun).

The Magnificent Seven is so faithful in its adherence to genre structure, style, motif, and even tropes that it borders on parody in a few of its lighter moments, but on the flip side the film proves its worth as a serious update for just those qualities. It's not just reflective of the genre, it lives it, inhales the same dust, wears the same clothes, fires the same guns. Fuqua's passion for it is obvious with every shot, even when it's clear he's taking a brief respite from the film's more serious storylines and characters to chew on some of his favorite genre standbys. The film boasts expert production values that, as the name implies, value authenticity but, at the same time, breathe life into the movie and ready it for the steady cadence of its heartbeat that the cast provides. The film's diverse "seven" melt into the movie. Never is it about where they come from or what they look like, at least beyond those times the movie makes mention in some form or fashion. It's instead about what they can do together, the individual qualities that make them a rugged and ready unit. Cast camaraderie is terrific, the actors' skills with blades or firearms never appear unnaturally practiced, and they wear the clothes and ride the horses like they grew up on the range. Fuqua gets the most from his cast, one of the most likable collections one will ever find in the Western genre. Vincent D'Onofrio and Byung-hun Lee steal the show, while Denzel Washington is perfectly cast as the group's stalwart leader. Chris Pratt epitomizes the movie, delivering a performance that's equal parts fun and serious and all Western.

Cinematography is breathtakingly fantastic. Not only are traditional Western vistas captured to their full beauty, they're presented in their full functionality too, with every sandy or grassy expanse, range, structure, cloud in the sky, everything in frame playing some role in enhancing the composition of a shot or building on the story. It's fluid and a fantastic extension of what the genre has always done so well, here perfected in an obvious, but seamless, manner. The score, started by legendary Composer James Horner and completed posthumously by Simon Franglen, shapes the film in that same style as Pratt's performance and character: classic, fun, and serious all rolled into one. Gunplay is terrific. Action scenes are complexly staged but gracefully occurring. They're chaotic but controlled to where the audience can follow the action. They're entertaining but deadly serious from both the business end of the gun and also from the business end of the narrative. This is everything most anyone could want in a contemporary Western. It's traditional where it must remain so, updated just enough to lure modern viewers, faithful to the ideas of the original, wonderfully cast, and passionately directed. Bravo.

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Magnificent Seven was shot on film, and the textural brilliance is evident immediately, thoroughly and throughout. Film grain accentuates the movie's dusty, wooden, and rough environments and characters. The image is handsomely organic. Grain distribution is even and light but obvious in its benefits and attractiveness. Detailing is fantastic. The movie's production is home to any number of tactile textures that the transfer presents with impressive accuracy and clarity. Wood is the most prominent, and the image has no trouble showcasing every bit of textural grain, accumulated grime, worn edges and bullet holes, or charred remains. Clothing looks fantastic, too. Beyond even the finer stitch and fabric details, it's frays, dust, wear, and adornments that truly impress. Weapons show plenty of scuffs and character on stocks and finishes. Leather holsters reveal Sam Andrews' beautiful craftsmanship in every close-up. Dusty terrains, vegetation, and the like are beautifully defined even at distance. Colors are impressive and stable. The movie is very earthy by nature. A mild bronze filtering is evident, and flesh tones do often push a bit warm, but later splashes of color, like blood, warpaint, and natural greenery are genuine. Black levels hold true for the duration, whether in nighttime outdoors scenes or shadowy nooks and crannies in a poorly lit saloon or church. A few shots look a little smudgy, but no obvious encode issues are apparent. This is a truly gorgeous film and a great looking Blu-ray from Sony.

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Magnificent Seven is another victim of Sony's reluctance to pair the best soundtrack with every version of the film. While the UHD features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, this standard Blu-ray rides into town with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 presentation. To say it's been "saddled" with the lesser track, however, would be to undersell what's here. The 7.1 track is certainly fantastic; it's just frustrating to see the larger division between UHD and BD. At any rate, the 7.1 track is everything one could want from it. The movie opens with a huge explosion, followed by another. The low end thump is fantastic. Depth is precise and surround engagement is full. The stage becomes the terrain nearby, and the listening area quakes with each blow. Gunfights are energetic. Shots blast out from all over the listening area, whether six-shooters, rifles, or a Gatling Gun. Pops, zips, and thuds differentiate between calibers, distance from the screen, and other considerations. Wood splinters and debris flies everywhere. Each speaker is fully engaged in the mayhem during both of the movie's extended gun battles. A shotgun blasts hits hard inside a church early in the film, and even without the overhead channels the falling debris from the ceiling is easy to hear and feel. Environmental details are wonderful. The stage frequently and effortlessly springs to life to deliver insects, winds, howling coyotes, and assorted small town din to expert, natural precision. Musical clarity is terrific. Width and wrap are seamless. Dialogue is clear and center focused with perfect prioritization. Dialogue expands as it echoes about a canyon partway through the film. It's a shame about the Atmos track, but there's no denying that this is a perfectly good substitute.

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Magnificent Seven contains a few deleted scenes, a handful of featurettes, and an in-movie commentary/documentary (a rarity these days!). A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:29 total runtime): Breakfast Prayer, What Are You Gonna Do About It?, Bravery and Responsibility, and Goodnight Serenade.
• The Seven (1080p, 8:36): A quick look through the characters and the actors who portray them.
• Directing The Seven (1080p, 5:03): The cast talks up Fuqua's work as director and a discussion of his love of the genre. It also offers a brief discussion of practical effects in the film, which in turn allows Fuqua to discuss the benefits of shooting practically.
• The Taking of Rose Creek (1080p, 5:16): Examining the key location and a discussion of the laborious process of making one of the film's key action sequences.
• Rogue Bogue (1080p, 5:26): A closer look at the film's antagonist and the world in which he operates.
• Gunslingers (1080p, 4:55): The actors discuss physical preparations for their parts, including horseback riding and weapons training. It also looks at how the actors' skill reflected their characters' qualities.
• Magnificent Music (1080p, 4:10): The original's iconic music, Horner's work and passing, modernizing the score while staying true to a classic Hollywood style, and more.
• Vengeance Mode (1080p, 2:53:07, DTS-HD MA 7.1): A full-screen commentary/making-of piece that occasionally cuts into the movie and features both behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew assembled to discuss their attachment to the film, story details and themes, character motivations and qualities, shooting locations, and plenty more. It's a well-done piece and a fun diversion from the traditional supplemental style, which this disc does have, of course, but it offers a flow, feel, and cast camaraderie that's otherwise impossible to capture in a basic minutes-long featurette.

The Magnificent Seven Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Magnificent Seven is another in the slowly growing list of wonderfully reimagined Westerns, joining the likes of 3:10 to Yuma and True Grit as new standard-bearers for both the genre and the larger world of cinematic remakes. Simply put, it's just a damn good movie in every way: faithfulness, uniqueness, authenticity, style, casting, performances, direction, cinematography, editing, score. It's a terrific example of why the Western was, and can be again, America's genre and why it still holds relevant even today, decades removed from its John Wayne heyday. Sony's Blu-ray release is fantastic, boasting impeccable video, terrific audio (still wish it featured Atmos, though) and a nice collection of bonus content. The Magnificent Seven earns my highest recommendation.