REVIEW - The Magnificent Seven

REVIEW: The Magnificent 7

Who this movie is good for: fans of westerns or any (or all) of the actors/actresses in this film. Also for people who want to see representation where representation has not always been seen.

Age range: Probably young teenagers and up. Heavy violence, but it's a western, so you expect that. 

I have been looking forward to this movie since before the trailers came out. I was scrolling through IMDb and I noticed that there were a ton of actors I like scheduled to be in it, and that's a surefire way to get me to go. And then the trailers were also cool and enticing. All that to say, it lived up to the expectations I had of it (although I was wrong about a couple actors' roles in the film). 

It was a good blend of action, humour, and what I'm assuming is a traditional western theme. There may not have been a lot of people in the theatre (more than likely due to me seeing it at noon), but each person seemed to laugh at various parts. I also enjoyed how the comedy wasn't left to one or a couple characters, but was dispersed throughout the entire cast. It really made it seem like a movie that wasn't just throwing in non-white actors, but instead that they were crucial to the plot, and any character could become a fan favourite. 

On that note, each character was decently well developed, despite the fact that there are a lot of them (it's in the title) and not a lot of time (over two hours seems like enough time, but you can barely know a real person in that timeframe). The antagonist's storyline was also really believable, if any of the other westerns I've seen are accurate. 

What I liked about this movie- apart from the representation- was the fact that it didn't seem to be throwing in comedic or action or love sequences for the fun of it, like some movies do, but that every word, phrase, gun shot, etc. had a specific role to play. It made it more believable, and more enticing to watch. 

Furthermore, I enjoyed how the trailer (shown above) barely had any of the third act in it, and wasn't chalk full of all the comedic points of the film. Lately, it seems as though filmmakers release more and more trailers with scenes from all parts of the movie, which, for those of us who are good at guessing, can sometimes spoil the ending. But this one didn't, and for that I was grateful. 

Finally, I heard the sets were all real, which is amazing. They were all built specifically for this movie, and were phenomenal. It brought me back to what I imagine the old west was like, and it was amazing. Set designers- keep doing what you do. 

So yeah, I recommend this movie. But then again, I basically recommend all of them. 

Did you watch this movie? Tell me what you thought of it in the comments! (Warning- spoilers ahead.)