Magnificent Seven Remakes Official vs Unofficial
We look at remakes that Seven Samurai inspired, or what we're calling unofficial vs official remakes of The Magnificent Seven - including: the 2016 remake with Denzel Washington & Chris Pratt; Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars; Seven Magnificent Gladiators with Sybil Danning & Lou Ferrigno
SPOILER ALERT - plot elements related to endings for both movies. If you haven't seen them, go watch them now.
Where to watch online (current as of 06/01/20) -
Magnificent Seven1960 - https://bit.ly/hdfy-magnificent-seven...
Battle Beyond the Stars 1980 - https://tubitv.com/movies/464241/batt...
Seven Magnificent Gladiators 1983 - https://vimeo.com/202280532
Magnificent Seven 2016 - https://bit.ly/hdfy_magnificent-seven...
Get your HDFY free trial & watch thousands of movies & TV shows plus support this program - https://m.me/jycmba (request your special link good for 24 hr)
Show Notes:
0:00:42 - what surprises us about remakes vs originals0:01:02 - how watching films can distort your perception of time
0:02:22 - why we dread watching trailers now
0:02:48 - how YouTube’s algorithm has not helped us reach our audience
0:04:00 - how much we enjoy discussing originals vs remakes
0:05:00 - how watching remakes became our filmmaking masterclass
0:05:40 - why 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven failed
0:06:42 - what's missing even with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Vincent D’onofrio
0:08:02 - not much happens until racking up kill count
0:09:22 - long training / preparations in both Seven Samurai & 1960 original
0:10:40 - less characters until townspeople are generic
0:12:06 - more character development in Seven Samurai & original Magnificent Seven
0:13:44 - how even strong actors like Denzel Washington can't do much with dry writing
0:15:42 - marching along with no surprises
0:16:20 - despite a strong start with Peter Sarsgaard film struggles
0:17:36 - what made final showdown hard to believe
0:19:40 - comparing Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) vs Calvera (Eli Wallach)
0:20:20 - why Bogue was not very menacing
0:22:44 - how Ethan Hawke’s PTSD performance vs Robert Vaughn compares
0:24:28 - most interesting character: Vincent D’Onofrio?
0:25:50 ** short break **
0:26:02 - how 2016 remake mixes & recombines characters, e.g. Vincent D’Onofrio as composite of Toshiro Mifune / Charles Bronson
0:27:24 - what worked in 2016 remake or didn't
0:28:26 - how Battle Beyond the Stars is unofficial remake of Magnificent Seven
0:29:34 - one of better Star Wars ripoffs? / why we love this watchable cult classic
0:31:32 - 80’s retro style is now often imitated, rarely duplicated
0:32:04 - music by James Horner / John Saxon as villain0:33:20 - inspiration for Star Trek Borg?
0:34:08 - hilarious concept of planet destroying villain still needs crops
0:34:32 - Richard Thomas as farm / villager but becomes fighter(Bill Denbrough from Stephen King’s IT)
0:35:10 - what happens to Shad’s sister??
0:36:12 - return of Robert Vaughn as traumatized fighter0:37:18 - George Peppard as Space Cowboy complete with mini-bar
0:38:02 - hilarious aliens companions incl. pair communicating with heat
0:38:54 - buxom Sybil Danning in tight outfit
0:39:40 - weird sense of ergonomics in 80s
0:40:30 - Roger Corman hired James Cameron for SFX
0:41:10 - vision of AI w/ sarcasm & thirst for violence
0:42:00 - why did pacifists design violent AI
0:43:02 - Sybil Danning stand-in as Toshiro Mifune’s character
0:44:04 - lack of restraint like Kikuchiyo’s character
0:44:44 - Valkyrie nudges Shad to charge head first into sleeping with scientist’s daughter
0:46:02 - George Peppard’s Cowboy attracts children like Charles Bronson’s Bernardo
0:46:46 - classic 80’s sci-fi flickering lights
0:47:16 - stolen ideas from Frank Herbert’s Dune?
0:46:46 - barely passing Bechdel test
0:48:16 -0:49:20 - why Nestor unique as a collective like the Borg
0:50:14 - funny how Nestor takes over Sador’s disembodied arm
0:51:02 - Space Cowboy's possibly first vegan hot dog reference in 1980
0:52:00 - how memorable Roger Corman’s low budget films, incl. Little Shop of Horrors
0:53:10 - Sybil Danning returns in unofficial remake, Seven Magnificent Gladiators plus in Halloween -
0:54:04 - Italian fantasy movies lacked spaghetti western following
0:55:02 - even with Lou Ferrigno (aka Hercules) this unofficial remake lacks appeal
0:56:40 - unintentionally funny Excalibur trope of chosen hero with sword & women fawning
0:57:32 - Ben Hur chariot race with a bit of Oedipus & women oil wrestlers
1:00:06 - stole funny sword fight from Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark
1:01:40 - dubbing dialogue in post-production from spaghetti westerns
1:03:06 - Seven Magnificent Gladiators is pretty forgettable
1:04:08 - other unofficial remakes? Rogue One, A Bug’s Life
1:05:24 - why we look forward to other Akira Kurosawa movies incl. Yojimbo
1:06:06 - coming up next: Pink Panther - remake vs original