In the film industry, January and February are the months of the year where bad movies go to die. The cold winter months do not lend themselves to trips to the theater, and Hollywood studios are busy promoting the movies they are actually proud of for awards season anyway. The early part of any new calendar year is typically filled with flotsam and jetsam; cinematic rejects tucked away in the soft part of the schedule where in theory they will do the least amount of damage. (Sorry, "Fifty Shades of Grey" fans, it's not being released in February because of Valentine's Day, I can assure you ...)
As a reviewer, you tend to go into any film this time of year with a certain amount of cautious pessimism. So keep in mind the circumstances of lowered expectations when I say that "Seventh Son" pleasantly surprised me: It didn't completely suck.
A fantasy adventure film directed by Sergei Bodrov, "Seventh Son" stars Jeff Bridges ("True Grit") as Master Gregory, an (stop me if you've heard this one before) old coot of a warrior, a "spook" whose duty it is to hunt down witches, ghosts and other monsters that go bump in the night. The movie begins with Master Gregory and his apprentice (Kit Harrington in a short-lived cameo; sorry, "Game of Thrones" fans) fighting Mother Malkin, a powerful witch queen who can shape change into a dragon played by Julianne Moore ("Still Alice"). Mother Malkin has escaped after being tricked into a magical prison by Gregory 10 years earlier. Operating under the light of the Blood Moon, Mother Malkin's powers are at their peak as she gathers her supernatural lieutenants and prepares to lay waste to the realm of humans. Meanwhile, Master Gregory must train a new apprentice, a farm boy named Tom Ward (Ben Barnes, Prince Caspian of "The Chronicles of Narnia") — who is chosen because he is the seventh son of a seventh son — and together they must defeat Mother Malkin. As young Tom progresses along his Hero's Journey™, he falls in love with a half-witch (Alicia Vikander, "Ex Machina") and struggles to embrace his destiny to become a spook and defender of humankind.
Yeah... It's all pretty silly when you say it out loud like that. And this is coming from a fan of the fantasy genre. This is not Tolkien-grade world building by any stretch. That said, this movie is probably better than it has any right to be.
Bridges is entertaining, if predictable, doing his jaded and drunken old-wise-man routine, but plainly plays the part with sincerity and affection for the character. While the accent is sometimes distractingly over the top, he gives a convincing performance of Master Gregory as a man devoted to his mission regardless of the considerable personal toll it has taken on him. It helps that Moore plays with equal seriousness opposite Bridges, taking the high road when she could have easily just vamped and winked her way to an easy payday. She has far less to work with than Bridges in terms of how the character was written, but her earnestness delivers the pathos that was clearly intended in the script.
Also putting in workmanlike efforts are familiar faces such as Djimon Hounsou ("Amistad," "Guardians of the Galaxy") as one of Mother Malkin's shape-shifting heavies, and Olivia Williams ("Rushmore") as Tom's mother. These veteran actors lend ample support and take their cues from Bridges and Moore, slumming it with sincerity when they really don't have to. Less impressive are the two young leads, Barnes and Vikander, who are serviceable but mostly lacking in charm or screen presence.
The visual effects, cinematography and action are surprisingly good. Despite the silly names and seemingly incongruous fantasy elements, the art direction and character design are top-notch. Although they get minimal story development, Mother Malkin's supernatural hit squad sport some cool abilities that evoke some of the fun of Ray Harryhausen's creatures.
As far as genre pictures go, "Seventh Son" could be much, much worse. While it lacks the schlocky charisma of fantasy cult classics like "Dragonslayer" or "The Beastmaster," it's a far more honest effort than recent junk like "Van Helsing" or "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters."
It is faint praise, but we take what we can get in the February movie wasteland.
3 Yaps