(Photo Credit: Janus Films)
We’ve reached the 70th anniversary of Akita Kurosawa’s magnificent Seven Samurai, the hugely influential film about a small town that hires seven samurai to defend their homes from local bandits. Simplistic in its design but epic in scope and rich in character, the three-plus hour classic has inspired a myriad of motion pictures since its release, including the 1960s equally classic Magnificent Seven and even the recent Zack Snyder feature Rebel Moon.
What other movies stemmed from Kurosawa’s renowned masterpiece, you ask? Well, check out the following list detailing the best movies inspired by Seven Samurai.
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Seven Samurai’s storyline is simple enough to adapt in any format, including animation. Pixar tackled the storyline in 1998’s A Bug’s Life, a fun (and often hilarious) tale about a colony of ants who seek the aid of other bugs to fend off a group of ravenous grasshoppers. While the animation is fairly dated — it was only Pixar’s second feature-length film following Toy Story — the story holds, and the overabundance of heart ultimately wins the day. A voice cast featuring Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Hayden Panettiere remains one of the best assembled by the legendary animation studio.
Three Amigos (1986)
In 1986, director John Landis assembled the dream team of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short for this silly comedy about three actors who unwittingly find themselves stuck in a conflict between a simple Mexican village and a group of local bandits. Initially, the three pals believe they are merely producing a film, and their method of acting conflates the situation. Eventually, they learn the truth and head out to find real warriors capable of helping them on their quest. It’s certainly not the tightest comedy, but a handful of gags, notably those revolving around a singing bush and an invisible swordsman, keep the film afloat while the cast is predictably charming.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Take away the wild card chases, and George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road boils down to a group of downtrodden people striking back at their tyrannical overlords with the help of an experienced outsider. Yeah, it’s a thin connection, but there are sequences in Fury Road ripped directly from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (according to Far Out Magazine), notably a bit in which Tom Hardy’s Max runs into some fog and takes out some baddies off-screen. Also, in case you didn’t already know, Fury Road is awesome and perhaps the best action picture of the modern era.
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
I referenced Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, but if you’re looking for a more straightforward sci-fi spin on Seven Samurai, check out Jimmy T. Murakami’s Star Wars wannabe Battle Beyond the Stars. I won’t lie and call this a classic masterpiece, but this exciting tale makes for a fun piece of pulpy cinema or passable Friday night entertainment. Starring George Peppard, Robert Vaughn, Richard Thomas, and Darlanne Fluegel, the film follows a group of outlaws who band together to save a small planet from outside forces. Decidedly old school and featuring a strong score by the late James Horner, whose final film, ironically, was Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars is big, terrific, B-movie fun. Take a look; you might appreciate Snyder’s Rebel Moon a little more.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Similarly to Three Amigos, Galaxy Quest spoofs the Seven Samurai formula with its story about a Star Trek-like cast of actors mistaken by real aliens as warriors and thrust into an intergalactic conflict with some terrifying aliens. Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Sam Rockwell headline the all-star cast and do a bang-up job portraying shallow, simpleminded, washed-up stars who eventually discover their inner hero. This hysterical sci-fi adventure did pretty good box office but has since gone on to achieve cult status and remains one of the best comedies of the late 90s.
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