Overview & Premise
Seventh Son is an Adventure Fantasy film directed by Sergey Bodrov, released in 2014. It is loosely based on Joseph Delaney’s book The Spook’s Apprentice from The Wardstone Chronicles series. The film features a high profile cast including Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, and Alicia Vikander. The film’s premise is an epic story filled with dark magic, chosen heroes, ancient prophecies, and supernatural conflict.
Tom Ward, the primary protagonist, is the seventh son of a seventh son. He becomes the apprentice of a waning hero, a Spook, who is a Witches and Dark creatures Hunter. Together, they will try to avert the resurrection of the powerful witch queen Mother Malkin who aims to cover the world in darkness during the blood moon’s rise.
Seventh son is Branded as an epic fantasy the film aims to accomplish the same legacy as the Lord of the Rings and harry Potter. However, the film suffers from lack of coherent story telling, lack of developed characters and a script that falls short of the source material.
Plot Summary
The film opens with Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges), an aging warrior known as a “Spook,” imprisoning the powerful witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) for crimes against humanity. He is a Spook Warlock. In a medieval world filled with the grotesque, and the fantastical, witches, and an order of mystics and warriors, Gregory has accepted the burden of watching over Malkin. He has kept her shackled within a mountain for quite a long time until the event called blood moon, a celestial event witches draw a lot of their power from, gives her a tantalizing chance to break free.
Evil Gregory is an archetype with a rudimentary need structure who possesses few useful traits. With his former apprentices either dead or turned to the dark side, Gregory seeks a new protogé and is willing to completely reshape blood moon witch a.k.a Tom Ward (Ben Barnes). He is a humble farm boy who with a little bit of polish (read: killing witches) is the very “seventh son of a seventh son”. Spin this as him being Matt Stevenson.
Deflating tired and overused archetypes and removing mental shackles off “start Wars” gives away to the long dead “defeat evil and take over” branch of storytelling. With the aids Alice Deane (Alicia Vikander), Tom August Coix and Alice Deane find companionship and the zealous love which shouldn’t exist given their side of the capture würde cruel to say the least.
The temporal thing Tom goes through during “love” and war breaks him, binds him, forces him to relearn the very actions he unilaterally was turned away from
Malkin has begun collecting her army made up of witches, warlocks, and shapeshifters. This includes her loyal sister Bony Lizzie, Radu the assassin, and a werebear. All of them are set on attacking the human world. Now, the blood moon is approaching and Malkin’s powers continue to grow stronger.
Tom is struggling to master his skills, overcome self-doubt, and make a decision on where his heart lies. This includes choosing between love and duty. Malkin has a fortress, and there, in a climactic duel, Tom and Gregory fight the queen witch alongside her in a battle that determines the fate of humanity. The outcome is bittersweet, and forces Tom to become the Spook, bearing the burden of Gregory’s legacy.
Characters and Performances
As Master Gregory, Jeff Bridges
Bridges portrays Gregory, the grizzled warrior, in an odd combination of growly eccentricity and theatricality. While some did not appreciate his thick accent and mystical ramblings, they were unique and contributed to the character. Gregory is emotionally complex, battling modern-day resentment and the weight of his past. That includes losing his former apprentice and lover, which adds emotional depth beneath the surface.
Ben Barnes as Tom Ward
As a farm boy who transforms into a gallant young fighter, Barnes captures the essence of the archetypal reluctant hero. While Tom’s evolution is predictable, Barnes’ dedication to the role is commendable, even if he suffers like many of the actors from the film’s script.
Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin
Moore leans into Mother Malkin’s role as the villainous enchantress. Malkin is a mix of seduction, vengeance, and power, artists her presence and visual flair to the characters. Moore does elevate the otherwise stereotypical villain, even if her motivations feel underdeveloped.
Alicia Vikander as Alice Deane
Vikander’s character is a woman torn between the love for her family, and the love for her husband Tom. She infuses the character with a measure of grace and vulnerability, and her chemistry with Barnes gives weight to a story that might otherwise feel shallow.
Supporting Cast
The film also features the performances of Kit Harrington as Billy Bradley, Gregory’s ill-fated apprentice, and Olivia Williams as Tom’s mother, alongside a bevy of fantastical creatures and warriors. Most of these supporting characters are shallow, playing a role in the advancement of the plot, rather than enriching the story.
Motifs and Themes
Relatives and Family
The film receives its inspiration from “the seventh son of the seventh son”. Within the film it explores if “greatness is inherited or earned”. Within the film it does not deeply explore much on this topic.
Defense and Attack of Witchcraft
Spooks battle with witches depicting the classic battle between good and evil. Alice and the like distort the boundaries between good vs. evil. With this, we can understand it is not as easy to categorize as good and evil.
Master and Debut
The connections between Tom and Gregory are astonishing to behold. Gregory is attempting to mentor Tom as he is preparing to pass on knowledge he will not be able to utilize. Tom is caught deciding whether to stick with his mentor or go on his own way.
Undesired Courtship
The courtship between Tom and Alice embodies the consequences of staying loyal to one party in a world that is so divided. Though attempting to bring in emotional trusts, the courtship is underdeveloped.
CGI Arts and the Battle of the Wizardry
Everything visually appealing like the magical forests and the dark castles was designed to create a fantasy world. The film also visually offers the battle with creatures and the Use of CGI. Lastly, the lavish costumes serve to immerse the audience into the fantasy world.
Although often relying on CGI, the action sequences are still well executed and full of energy. The choreography merges sword fighting with the supernatural. Mid-fight transformations of fire-breathing dragons, werebears, and witches, while lacking in narrative coherence, do provide visual spectacles.
The lack of polish on some of the characters and effects, paired with the excessive use of green screen, creates a lack of immersion alongside the character development focus getting lost in the visual effects.
Director Sergey Bodrov, while known for his more grounded works such as Mongol, The unifying ambition brought by Bodrov is muddled by the scope and tone of the film, leading to a lack of focus. The film is often burdened with editing and pacing that is too fast, cramming in excessive lore for the film’s lore to naturally integrate.
Reception & Legacy
Critics tore the film apart for the lack of competent storytelling while Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 0% score. With poor dialogue, a failure to live up to the potential of the cast, and uttering the words “trying to launch a franchise”, it’s a miracle the film didn’t bomb harder at the box office.
The film does succeed for a specific audience demographic, which includes fans of fantasy adventures. The film contains fantastical garnishment such as creature battles, magic, and quests. While lacking in originality, fans of high fantasy will still find enjoyment.
The movie also rekindled interest in The Wardstone Chronicles books, especially with younger audiences fascinated by the ideas of apprentice witch hunters and witchcraft.
Conclusion
Seventh Son is a fantasy film with visually stunning elements, yet fails in the storytelling department. The rich source material and the impressive cast are not put to good use. There are charming moments of fantasy and action, but in the end, the film is predictable and sloppy.
Fans of the genre might enjoy the mythical creatures, the sword fights, and the world-building. However, if you are looking for depth, you will be disappointed. The film is good for a stand-alone, and if you’re looking to escape for a little while. However, it doesn’t quite work as a franchise starter.
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