There are activities which at times once done and viewed from a far place down in time seem to stand out at peculiar angles inviting curious looks. These things the absurd, the odd, the somewhat askew can help to give a shapely character to life. They vary of course along a wide spectrum and include all manner of the illicit and the mundane. For some, they're that one time during college or the other night last summer or moon shoes. What I'm getting at exactly with this is that once in middle school ranging somewhere near the six-hour mark I through all of one sitting watched Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai along with John Sturges' the Magnificent Seven and to this day am not totally sure as to why this event occurred. Now, I don't mean to make the concept of watching six hours of content sound absurd, binge watching is a common practice after all, but the idea that some barely teenage boy sat down with some friends to consume a continuous stream of fifty to sixty-year-old cinema seems a little peculiar to me and I was there.

I mention this event because recently The Magnificent Seven has sauntered its way back into popular culture with a big Hollywood remake. Upon hearing this news I was confused and even a little excited. I know that there hasn't been a good record for remakes recently I admit however that I hoped maybe this one might just change that somewhat. It has a good cast and comes from some strong source material, maybe this one would do something with the material it was working off of. I uh, I recently found out that this was not to be the case. Ugh. I wanted to enjoy the adventures the movies cast got into to I wanted to see something that I had experienced as a youth made big and fantastic and brought into a modern context. I wasn't given that. I'm not really sure what I was given but I know that it wasn't unique, I know it wasn't storied as it was as much an action scene, I know that it wasn't as memorable or lasting as a couch and black and white Japanese films.

For any who might not now know the plot of these movies their general setup is fairly straightforward. Some small peasant village has become the target of a mad bandit leader and his gang of murdering outlaws. Seeing as the peasants are unable to defend themselves from the trained killer hands of the highwaymen they must gather what little wealth they have and recruit to their side experienced fighters to protect their farms and families. Those men that they recruit are a mixed group of rabble, all men whose own fortunes have found them in need of money or food or simply in need of a challenge. With the aid of their hired defenders the small-folk work to drive away those marauders which plagued them so at the film's beginning. Though our heroes may be outnumbered they’re the best at what they do and what they do is kill. After the ruckus of much fighting in which there has been loss and death and victory those who survived the films, the ordeal is made stronger or more learned.

The new version of the Magnificent Seven moves along a very similar plot only with less of the care for a character that one may find in those that preceded it. Seeing as the film has a pretty well-stocked roster of actors whose individual performances feel fine the whole thing is a bit of a shame that they don't get to do a lot besides shoot six guns and ride horses. The fact that this film contains some extremely charismatic actors who hardly have a chance charm over the audience feels like such a wasted opportunity. From the trailers, one can get a sense of how this film contains such a diverse cast of actors and that was initially exciting. After watching it, that diversity seems so squandered along with the other casting choices on a film that doesn't seem to overly care about characters.

Whereas the past films focused around a motley group of rogues and aspirants who found themselves engaged in a violent living this new Seven took the notion seemingly that the best character was the one firing a gun and talking less. For having a run time over two hours I am surprised by just how little of that is used to make this ragtag group feel alive. The action is present in abundance and for the most part, is handled well. I suppose that wasn't in doubt when the film was being made, but the character elements of the film feel sorely lacking. Some of the seven are almost nonexistent at times only reminding the audience of their presence in the movie when they step into frame to blow away one of the countless faceless goons whose corpses litter the screen with such intensity that they almost threaten to spill into the aisles of the theater. Of course, I would not consider this fair if I didn't mention the fact that for all of its flaws I did find myself enjoying to varying degrees the scraps and fights our protagonists would find themselves in from time to time.

As an experience, this movie has some fine action to offer to its viewers but on other levels, it seems to be sorely lacking. As a western and as a remake The Magnificent Seven just doesn't seem to be able to grasp as those things which give weight to the Kurosawa and Sturges films. I think that a person could view this movie and pass two hours with amusement, but be no better shaped for the ordeal. This movie doesn't offer enough of the western to trigger those things which made it such a long lasting genre nor does it provide enough to be an outstanding piece of modern cinema in its own right. For optimal viewing experience, the dear reader might I suggest going back in time and being me and watching the films that gave this Magnificent Seven a reason to exist. If that isn't an option to you at the moment then find yourselves a copy of Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven and tuck in for a few hours.

Trust me, it's worth it.