Reviews

As a lover of classic movies, I consider "Samurai Seven" one of the most highly acclaimed films of its time. Even now, the black and white production is appreciated by modern-day viewers and revered by contemporary movie directors alike.



The movie takes place near the end of the Sengoku era; possibly the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Due to political unrest and military wars, there are plenty of ronin samurai roaming about, but there are also bandits. The latter terrorize local villages; simple farmers are robbed of their meager possessions, their harvest and their women. Undoubtedly, the farmers are forced to make a decision; they can either allow things to continue as is or... make a stand to fight and defend what is theirs. The villagers choose to fight back, but they are farmers, not warriors. They have no training in weaponry and they lack the necessary skills for battle. Therefore, they come up with a plan to hire ronin samurai to aid them in their fight to be free of oppression.



But, what does an impoverished village have to offer? Practically nothing, except the rice they have nurtured and grown all winter. Thus... their quest begins. A quest to find hungry samurai who will work for three square meals a day, instead of money.



Ultimately, the villagers are left feeling despondent, as their primary efforts appear futile. However, eventually they are able to procure five highly skilled samurai and two promising hopefuls.



I enjoyed each samurai character. Separate entities, different personalties and each had their own personal reasons for aiding the farmers. I, however, felt those reasons were vague and not clearly expressed in the movie, yet it enabled the viewing audience to reflect and draw their own conclusions. The animated series of Samurai Seven, I feel evoked more feeling into its samurai characters than the screen version.



Throughout the film, I found myself drawn to each samurai, as well as sympathizing the plight of the villagers. How could one not respect the efforts of Kambei Shimada (portrayed by actor - Takashi Shimura). He was the first to accept the villagers offer and began overseeing the recruitment of more samurai to the cause.



The skilled swordsman, Kyuzo (actor - Seiji Miyaguchi); even though his dialogue was minimal, I found him equally impressive. His stoic, no-nonsense character was one to get the job done with no questions asked.



Of all the seven, none compared to Kikuchiyo (actor - Toshiro Mifune). To me, his performance stole the show. Kikuchiyo's passioned speeches chastised both the samurai and the farmers, but it opened the door for acknowledgement of their differences and brought about an understanding of the two separate classes. Mifune's comedic antics kept the dire situation from becoming too solemn, thus uplifting the villagers spirits, as well as, entertaining an audience.



This classic is enriched with meaning; it also portrays both the social and economic history of feudal Japan in grave detail. Ultimately, Samurai Seven is a film that will stand the test of time. If you haven't seen it, then I highly recommend that you do.

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I liked this movie b/c it made the girl out to be smart. She at least does the right thing for herself when in most dramas and movies the lead chick always does everything she can for that one guy. Well this chick made a decision that worked better for her in the end rather than catering to some jerk ass male that did not appreciate her in the 1st place. K so now that I am done man bashing I can talk about the quality of the movie.



Well I liked the acting b/c it felt real. The rxns shown by the actors was exactly how u would think it would be in RL. I enjoyed the movement from place to place and the changing of time. U know me if I don't notice the music then it was good but in this some of the music was too loud but I am able to ignore those things after the inital affect it has on me.



I read a review of this movie and it said something about this movie being the first that was done completely in Manadrin and is focused more on the local audience. I think that is great b/c I believe that one way to increase happiness in ur ppl is to entertain them. Even though the economy is not great here and we r just trying to get by. I still try to take the family out to a movie every once in a while b/c it is almost always a good experience that makes a happy memory. Every1 needs that feeling. I am glad the Hong Kong movie biz is doing that for the ppl (not to mention the money).

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story- it was good... but in the end i sorta lost interess, especially with that ending! ugh... but until more than half of it i enjoyed the plot.

cast - i don't really like the girl, but her acting was good. the guy was a good actor and i liked his character a lot. there was chemistry between them, but it didn't gave you that feeling of "they HAVE to be together in the end!!!".

music- i didn't really like it....

rewatch value- i probably wouldn't rewatch it, but it would be nice to, if i didn't have anything else to do.

overall - if you haven't seen any AMAZING drama/movie, you will like this. if you have seen amazing drama/movie, you'll think this is lacking something, but you'll watch it still.

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story - i felt it was lacking a LOT of things... it just didn't excite me to see more at all!



cast-i think the couple doesn't have chemistry... it was just too fake! and i don't think he was that hot (or perfect) and she was cute... but not as cute as a lot of other girls i've seen in korean movies/dramas...



music- didn't really like it....



rewatch- i wouldn't rewatch it, i just saw it til the end to see if it got any better.... it didn't.



overall- i don't recommend this at all... it just seems like they wanted to make an american movie and forgot all about their wonderful korean culture! it was too american for me.... and so little korean! the only korean part in the movie was the karaoke and the girl... nothing else...

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story- pretty good, it makes you laugh a lot and you cheer for the "happy ending". it's also a sweet romance and heartfelt. too bad there isn't any kiss on the lips....



cast- i loved them! i really felt the love and they're really funny! and the girl is sooooooo cute! i love them as a couple ^^



music- it was good and in context. but i didn't pay much attention to it...



rewatch value- i would watch it again and make everyone watch it too! a great way to pass your time.



overall- it's really good and i think everybody should see this at least one time^^

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A very brilliant movie.



The storyline is perfectly done, it really build up our emotion to see the friendship of those 4 friends. The story is not lacking nor exaggerated. It also have unpredictable storyline which you cannot expect it.

The story have combination of action, friendship and a bit of suspense.



The acting also are superb. Jang Dong Gun played his roles well in this movie, one of his best performance.

Oh Young Su as a gangster & loyal friend also makes me cry for him.



What I like from this movie??



-the flow of the story

-the two main characters,(Jong Suk & Dong Su)

-the climax which brilliantly done.

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At first I was hesitant in watching the movie because I wasn't sure if it was worth it but when I actually got around to watching it I was glad I did. I would definately rewatch Koizora, actually I just finished rewatching it a few days ago.



The story overall was beautiful and touching... I laughed and cried along with the characters. Be prepared though, if you are going to watch this movie, have a box of tissues by your side because you will cry your eyes out. Anyone who hasn't watched Koizora should; it expresses the feelings of absolute happiness and pain.

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Okay this was a predictable ride throughout, being a remake of the famed Demi Moore starrer Ghost. I watched it only 'cause it boasts of a cast which includes Song Seung Hun. Storylines are similar except the ghost in this case is the woman. The movie is exceptionally slow in the beginning and until Nanami dies. Only then are things set into motion. The cute ghost kid who teaches Nanami how to be able to move material objects without a body, added charm to the few frames she was seen in and I wish the viewers had gotten more of her. What this movie missed was Whoopie Goldberg's excellent portrayal of the psychic in Ghost. We needed someone like her to spice things up. But Kiren Kiki does a moderate job in the few scenes she is seen. Again I'm being generous and giving it a 7 as I am a die hard Seung Hun fan. And Nanako Matsushima is another favorite.

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