Seventh Son (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
In 'Seventh Son' (loosely based on a fantasy novel & directed by Sergey Bodrov), mysterious witch hunter (or a "Spook") Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges, in R.I.P.D. mode) discovers that Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore ... what are you DOING in this?), the powerful Witch he imprisoned in a dungeon decades earlier, has escaped {in dragon form". She angrily confronts Gregory & quickly kills his apprentice, William (Kit Harington, of Game of Thrones fame), before disappearing into the sky to mount her wicked campaign against humanity. Master Gregory visits the Ward family (led by matriarch, Olivia Williams) to investigate his next possible apprentice, Tom (Ben Barnes, of The Chronicles of Narnia fame), another "seventh son of a seventh son" who has an acute sensitivity to the 'supernatural'.
Together, Gregory & Tom set out in the forest to kill Mother Malkin before the prophesied Blood Moon rises, granting her even stronger dark powers than she already has {look out!!!}. Along the way, Tom meets & falls hard for Alice (Alicia Vikander, who is about to break-out in 2015 with numerous films), a beautiful young witch who ... is actually Mother Malkin's niece {uh ohhh}. With help from a ruby stone that his mother gave him, Tom must use his unique powers to ensure that Mother Malkin's & her host of monster villains don't destroy their land & everyone who dwells there. Chaos ensues.
The problem with this movie is that ... well ... there are too many problems. For one, it feels like the hollow shell or the faint shadow of such great fantasy flicks as The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potters, the Game of Thrones, or even the great 80s films like the Conan movies, Dragonslayer, & the like -- this just can't hold a candle to those. This film comes in at 94 minutes (before end credits), and yet, there probably should have been another 30 min. or so to substantiate this production as something with depth. As is, the film feels rushed, truncated, & chopped up. Furthermore, the plot is both generic & by-the-numbers. Sure, there are 'some' impressive medieval sets {which I love}, cool costumes, ugly monsters, & nifty CGI effects ... but for what?
Ben Barnes is suitably hunky, handsome, dashing, & likeable as Tom Ward. But his character isn't given enough of a role to chew on. I mean, he looks good; he has supernatural instincts; he falls quickly in love with a witch ... that's all there is to him. Furthermore, this is a 29 yr. old actor playing a young teen {grr}. Alicia Vikander is sweet & beautiful, but her talent will show itself in other films this yr. (such as Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, & The Danish Girl). As for Julianne Moore, well, she looks like she's relishing playing an over-the-top witch. Problem is, she goes TOO over-the-top. This film isn't a comedy & would benefit from the character of Mother Malkin playing her role very straight/serious. But she doesn't give us that. She gives us grand speech patterns & campy/vampy bigness.
And then there's good 'ole Jeff Bridges. Once again, he phones a performance in {acting drunk 1/2 the time}. This talented thespian won an Oscar 6 yrs. ago with a great performance, but he's slacked off a bit since. I was also disappointed that the electric Djimon Hounsou is relegated to such an inconsequential, submissive role (as one of Malkin's cronies). And Kit Harington - SO popular from Game of Thrones - is wasted in a role that disappears 15 minutes into the film. Agh, there's just little to recommend about 'Seventh Son'. I can't say it's GODAWFUL. There are moments here & there. As mentioned, I liked some of the visuals. But 'Seventh Son' feels pretty darn hollow in the end. I didn't care about much. The romance side of it is mehhh. And I wasn't drawn-in the way a great fantasy film should.
Together, Gregory & Tom set out in the forest to kill Mother Malkin before the prophesied Blood Moon rises, granting her even stronger dark powers than she already has {look out!!!}. Along the way, Tom meets & falls hard for Alice (Alicia Vikander, who is about to break-out in 2015 with numerous films), a beautiful young witch who ... is actually Mother Malkin's niece {uh ohhh}. With help from a ruby stone that his mother gave him, Tom must use his unique powers to ensure that Mother Malkin's & her host of monster villains don't destroy their land & everyone who dwells there. Chaos ensues.
The problem with this movie is that ... well ... there are too many problems. For one, it feels like the hollow shell or the faint shadow of such great fantasy flicks as The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potters, the Game of Thrones, or even the great 80s films like the Conan movies, Dragonslayer, & the like -- this just can't hold a candle to those. This film comes in at 94 minutes (before end credits), and yet, there probably should have been another 30 min. or so to substantiate this production as something with depth. As is, the film feels rushed, truncated, & chopped up. Furthermore, the plot is both generic & by-the-numbers. Sure, there are 'some' impressive medieval sets {which I love}, cool costumes, ugly monsters, & nifty CGI effects ... but for what?
Ben Barnes is suitably hunky, handsome, dashing, & likeable as Tom Ward. But his character isn't given enough of a role to chew on. I mean, he looks good; he has supernatural instincts; he falls quickly in love with a witch ... that's all there is to him. Furthermore, this is a 29 yr. old actor playing a young teen {grr}. Alicia Vikander is sweet & beautiful, but her talent will show itself in other films this yr. (such as Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, & The Danish Girl). As for Julianne Moore, well, she looks like she's relishing playing an over-the-top witch. Problem is, she goes TOO over-the-top. This film isn't a comedy & would benefit from the character of Mother Malkin playing her role very straight/serious. But she doesn't give us that. She gives us grand speech patterns & campy/vampy bigness.
And then there's good 'ole Jeff Bridges. Once again, he phones a performance in {acting drunk 1/2 the time}. This talented thespian won an Oscar 6 yrs. ago with a great performance, but he's slacked off a bit since. I was also disappointed that the electric Djimon Hounsou is relegated to such an inconsequential, submissive role (as one of Malkin's cronies). And Kit Harington - SO popular from Game of Thrones - is wasted in a role that disappears 15 minutes into the film. Agh, there's just little to recommend about 'Seventh Son'. I can't say it's GODAWFUL. There are moments here & there. As mentioned, I liked some of the visuals. But 'Seventh Son' feels pretty darn hollow in the end. I didn't care about much. The romance side of it is mehhh. And I wasn't drawn-in the way a great fantasy film should.