7 more Seven Samurai stories to watch after Rebel Moon

polygon.com:

There may not be a single movie more influential than Seven Samurai, and for good reason. Akira Kurosawa’s epic tale of a group of warriors hired by a village to protect them from bandits is so consequential in the history of global cinema that it’s impossible to fully track all the movies and shows that stem from it.

Often listed among the great action movies of all time, Seven Samurai transcends even that lofty honor through Kurosawa’s care for the people in the story as well as his great technical skill. Even with all the imitators that have followed, it is a singular film. If you have never seen it, run, don’t walk, to Max or the Criterion Channel before pressing on any further here — you owe it to yourself.

There are plenty of movies that have pretty directly followed Seven Samurai’s set-up of “a ragtag group of adventurers become the unlikely heroes for a small community.” But even more have taken pieces of that — especially the idea of seeing the formation of an unlikely team — and ran with it in all sorts of directions.

Zack Snyder’s latest movie, Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire, was originally going to be a Kurosawa-inspired Star Wars movie (the original Star Wars movies are also very Kurosawa-inspired, but we get what he means). Rebel Moon is very specifically another Seven Samurai-like, as a group of warriors from across the galaxy are recruited to protect a moon colony from an oppressive military.

Whether you’re planning on watching the PG-rated cut released on Netflix this weekend or waiting for the R-rated version due out in 2024, here are seven more “Seven Samurai” stories to follow up Rebel Moon with.

Where to watch: MGM Plus, free with a library card on Kanopy and Hoopla, free with ads on Tubi,