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Posted September 21, 2016 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: Are These Seven Magnificent?

Welcome to another “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide release movies. The fall movie season is in full swing, and as Sully continues to dominate the box office, it looks like we might have our first blockbuster of the fall season in The Magnificent Seven. Warner Bros. looks to cash in on the lack of family options in theaters with their latest animated offering, Storks. Both look interesting for different reasons, let’s break them down.

 

The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven PosterWhat we are excited about:
If you’re not excited for this cast, we’re not sure what cast list will ever get you excited. Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Vincent D’Onofrio, and more headline this remake of the classic western. The trailers all seem to indicate that the chemistry is going to be loose and fun, which seems to be the right tone for this type of western. Not only is the cast top notch, but director Antoine Fuqua knows how to make sleek action films as seen with The Equalizer, Training Day, and even Olympus Has Fallen. Hopefully his style matches well with the western aesthetic.

What we are worried about:
There’s not much we are worried about, the trailers have been pretty cool, but they have been pretty light on plot. The trailers feature a lot of action and some quick wit from the cast, but there is not much on the story front. We know that Peter Sarsgaard’s character is playing the villain, but outside of that, not much plot is shown. Sometimes that is a good thing, but we hope there is more depth to the film rather it being just a mindless action flick.

The Buzz:
The buzz is pretty strong with this movie as it is one of the more anticipated movies the fall season. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival to mostly good reviews, nothing spectacular though. This is the first major action blockbuster since Suicide Squad in early August, so look for a big opening around $45 million.

Final Thoughts:
This just looks like a fun time at the movie theater and the cast is simply too good to pass up a trip to the cineplex.

 

Storks

Storks PosterWhat we are excited about:
Warner Bros. Animation gave us the awesome The LEGO Movie back in 2014, but the reason to be excited for this movie is that it is written and co-directed by Nick Stoller, the guy behind the Neighbor movies. Similar to what happened when Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed 21 Jump Street and then went on to do The LEGO Movie, Stoller has the chance to translate his quick and often smart humor from raunchy R-rated laughs to family-friendly animated ones. The cast is also loaded with stars like Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, and Kelsey Grammer all lending their voices to the film.

What we are worried about:
While the idea is original, the story kind of looks a little too out there for us. Outside of the initial hook, we don’t really know what the story is or what will keep us watching for the film’s running time. Hopefully there is enough creativity to keep the children and adults entertained.

The Buzz:
This year has been huge for animated movies as Finding Dory, Zootopia, and The Secret Life of Pets all had big returns at the box office. It’s been a while since there has been a big animated movie in theaters so look for a solid $25 million opening weekend for Storks.

Final thoughts:
There seems to be some potential thanks to the talent, but we think when we are talking about the great animated movies of 2016, this one might be forgettable.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.