By Travis Johnson
Already notorious for being the most downvoted trailer in the history of YouTube, this look at Sony’s upcoming remake has angered and galvanised a generation of fans who see any changes to the original material as an unpardonable affront to an integral part of their childhoods…
No, wait, that’s Ghostbusters. Everyone seems okay with this, even though it’s a remake of a much better film* by a much more uneven director.
But here’s the important thing: The Magnificent Seven looks like so much fun. The basic template is robust as all hell – that’s why it crops up in almost every genre you can imagine – and Antoine Fuqua, it must be admitted, can certainly make his leading men look cool as all hell. The cast is great: Denzel Washington is sorta Yul Brynner, Chris Pratt is sorta Steve McQueen, and about three different guys, including Ethan Hawke, are sorta James Coburn. Also, the Native American character is called Red Harvest, which is a deep cut for Western/Dashiell Hammett/Kurosawa fans.
The Magnificent Seven hits Australian cinemas on September 29, 2016.
*Itself a remake of a much, much better film.
