The Magnificent Seven

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Classic shoot-'em-up not for young viewers.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is a classic Western filled with gun violence. Characters drink, smoke, get in fights, shoot at one another, and often display racist and sexist tendencies.

  • Characters often display racist and sexist tendencies. White actors wearing make-up portray the Mexican characters.
  • Lots of fighting – with guns and without.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Apparently, if your Mexican peasant village is being harassed by a band of thieves, the thing to do is to enlist the help of a black hat-wearing cowboy. He'll hire some other wild west figures and come to your defense. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN tells the tale of a tiny village kept at the brink of poverty by Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his bandits. Unable to defend themselves, the villagers enlist Chris Adam (Yul Brynner) and six other gunmen to defend them. The gunmen all choose to help for different reasons, and much of the film is dedicated to characterizing the gunmen as they help the town get ready to fight back against Calvera's gang.


Is it any good?

 

The Magnificent Seven is a classic western based on an earlier Japanese film, Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece, Seven Samurai. The film is steeped in elements of the Western genre, from the pistols to the saloons to the good guy/bad guy plot. That being said, The Magnificent Seven is a particularly good example of the genre. The cast does well, and Yul Brynner is especially charismatic on-screen. The film has not aged particularly well, though, and the pacing will feel slow to viewers not used to films of the period.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about race and wild west mythmaking. Why do the villagers need American cowboys to help save them? Is what the "magnificent seven" do in any way "noble"? The use of white actors wearing make-up to portray the Mexican characters also merits some attention. Why do you think filmmakers did that? Do you find it offensive?


This review was written by Carly Kocurek
Adult
November 8, 2011
 
The Magnificent Seven prove themselves truly magnificent
This is a classic film that has so many things going for it. Great performances by a young cast that would almost all go on to have legendary careers, a rousing musical score, beautiful cinematography, cool action scenes (even some of my teen friends were visibly impressed), and a saddlebag full of unforgettable one-liners. Watching the documentary about the making of this film gave me an even greater appreciation for it as I discovered that Steve McQueen and the rest of the cast were all trying to one-up eachother and especially the established star, Yul Brynner. All that said, all that would have only made The Magnificent Seven a good film. What makes it a great film is its heart. So many scenes in it are poignant and moving as the The Magnificent Seven prove themselves truly magnificent. Their sacrificial decision at the film's end echoes the sacrifice of Christ in the Bible in that they are willing to give up their lives for people who have betrayed them. The first time I watched this film, I was thirteen years old, and I remember crying as MILD SPOILER WARNING several members of the Seven die heroic deaths SPOILER END. Parents should know that there are about 8 mild curses in this film (h-words and d-words, mostly in one scene), a brief mention is made of rape (mild, not graphic at all), there is some passionate kissing, alcohol use, and the violence can be fairly bloody (despite what other reviewers say, when people get shot in this movie, and I counted a body count of about fifty, there is sometimes quite a bit of blood). This film remains one of my favorite westerns, one of my favorite films to quote, and a film that I watch time and time again.

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Adult
March 9, 2011
 
WHAT "racism"? WHAT "sexism"?
"Characters often display racist and sexist tendencies. White actors wearing make-up portray the Mexican characters. " WHAT "racism"? Because some NON-mexicans played mexicans? Mexican ISN'T a "RACE", it's a nationality. I see that you have no trouble calling people "white". THAT'S 'racism". WHAT "sexism"? This film is set in 18th century rural Mexico. It depicts rural Mexican life, the gender roles are ACCURATE to that. Are you insane? This is a GREAT and CLASSIC western, with a great cast and story. The only "problem" I see for "modern" viewers is that watching this film will show you what dreck and TRASH so called modern westerns are. It will spoil you because once you see it you will know what a GREAT western ought to look like. I was 10 years old when I first saw this film in 1960. If your children even watch so called "children's" TV today they see more violence, sexism and racism and just plain trash than there is in this film. Not to mention the MESSAGE that the film delivers, a story of redemption and victory even unto DEATH in the name of defending INNOCENTS. Are you insane?

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Kid, 12 years old
April 17, 2009
 
Great!
It is very good though even i hid my face sometimes. It is very violent, but little blood is shown, not even when a charactor gets stabbed. Also it was deep so youger kids might not find it as interesting as older kids. But it was a really plot based on Seven Samurai (I have not seen that so I cannot compare it). Two thumbs up!

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Kid, 13 years old
March 6, 2010
 

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Parent
April 26, 2012
 
Underappreciated classic western worth a watch!
I saw this movie when I was nine years old and was impressed by many scenes and messages in the movie. This is far superior to any Spielberg picture that millions of parents allow their children to be submitted to. The violence is there, yes...but not close up and gory as today's films. It made me want to defend a small Mexican village against all odds. That's not a bad example for a young boy!

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This review was written by Carly Kocurek
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:John Sturges
Cast:Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:127 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 23, 1960
DVD release date:May 8, 2001
MPAA rating:NR

This review was written by Carly Kocurek
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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