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The Movie:
A remake of the famed 1960 western, "The Magnificent Seven" aired on CBS for two seasons - despite ratings that were never particularly high, the show's fans pressed the network to try and keep the series on the air. The series, which was created by Steve Beers (TV's "Prison Break") and Christopher Cain ("Young Guns") focuses on a group of seven men (played by Michael Biehn, Ron Perlman and others) recruited by an indian village in order to try and save the villagers from a band of ex-confederate soldiers, lead by the renegade Col. Emmett Andersen (Kurtwood Smith). After the events of the very enjoyable pilot episode, the seven take up residence and start helping out those in need.
Despite having big shoes to fill in trying to remake a very beloved feature film, "Magnificent Seven" manages to hold up quite well on its own, standing out as its own take on the tale. The series also boasts surprisingly high production values and a cast that not only offers solid performances, but also has good chemistry with one another. While the expected action sequences aren't on the level of a feature film, they are very enjoyable and exciting, as well as superbly choreographed. It's unfortunate that the Western genre still hasn't quite gotten back the mass appeal it once had, as this show deserved a wider audience.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Magnificent Seven" is presented by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 1.33:1 full-frame, which is the show's original aspect ratio. Image quality is mostly top-notch, with only a few occasional exceptions. Sharpness and detail were occasionally excellent, although there were some wide shots and other moments that appeared slightly softer.
Flaws included some slight artifacts that appeared at times, as well as some minimal edge enhancement. The elements looked to be in perfectly fine shape, and overall, the concerns were visible, but not distracting. Colors remained somewhat on the subdued side (not surprising, given the locations), but appeared accurately presented.
SOUND: Although a remastered 5.1 presentation would have been really nice, the Dolby 2.0 soundtrack provided here gets the job done. Dialogue remains crisp and clear throughout, while gunfire and other sound effects seemed well-recorded and sounded dynamic.
EXTRAS: None.
Final Thoughts: An excellent series that gained a cult following over the two seasons it aired, "Magnificent Seven" is a very fine western, offering great performances and the expected helpings of both action and drama. Despite not offering any supplement, this DVD set does at least provide very good audio/video quality. Recommended to fans of the series or fans of westerns in general.
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