MOVIE REVIEW: “SEVENTH SON”

Running Time: 1 hour and 42 minutes

Rated PG-13

Directed By: Sergei Bodrov

Starring:

Jeff Bridges as Master Gregory

Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin

Ben Barnes as Tom Ward

Olivia Williams as Tom’s mother

Alicia Vikander as Alice Dean

Djimon Hounsou as Radu

Antje Traue as Bony Lizzie

Jason Scott Lee as Urag

Kandyse McClure as Sarikin

Kit Harington as Billy Bradley

I’ve been searching for you Mr. Ward…you are the seventh son of the seventh son.

Master John Gregory is a mystical warrior in the old English countryside. Many years before, he trapped a powerful witch in a pit deep in the ground of a mountain. When Master Gregory and his apprentice, Billy Bradley, are summoned to drive a demon from a young girl, Gregory learns that the witch has escaped. The witch, Mother Malkin, is the Queen of all witches and she is very angry about her imprisonment. As Master Gregory is searching for a new apprentice, he senses that there is a seventh son of a seventh son who should be his most powerful apprentice to date. The new apprentice is Tom Ward and the two of them travel to Mother Malkin’s lair with the goal of stopping her before the Blood Moon rises which is seven days away. While Master Gregory works on training Tom, Mother Malkin gathers her supernatural forces to ensure her success.

This is your most important test…use everything that I taught you.

Reminiscent of the 1980’s fantasy films, Seventh Son is loosely based on the childrens book series, The Last Apprentice, by Joseph Delaney. Even though the screenwriters chose to weave an almost entirely different tale from the book, I believe that the screenplay worked well for the big screen. I thoroughly enjoyed Jeff Bridges’ performance which is similar to his work on R.I.P.D. and The Giver, but Bridges capitalizes on his charm and witty humor perfectly in this film. Julianne Moore looks absolutely enchanting and it seems like she truly had fun stepping out of her normal roles for this one. The difference between Seventh Son and similar films on the ’80s is the fantastic use of CGI and special effects especially in the transitions between human and animal. If you are a fan of this genre, then fly into the theater to see this one!                                                               ~Movie Buffette