Movie Review: Seventh Son

Jeff Bridges has become some sort of expert in playing an experienced man of a certain profession that doesn’t give a shit and is drunk most of the time, with a protégé under his wing. After winning the Oscar (in an alcoholic role, no less), he has since perfected this act in True Grit, R.I.P.D. and The Giver. In Seventh Son, Jeff Bridges plays Master Gregory, the Spook (a demon fighter) who acquires a young man Tom (played by Prince Caspian’s Ben Barnes) as his apprentice to fight Mother Malkin the powerful witch queen (played by Julianne Moore). He’s tough, he’s cranky, and he’s drunk. In another word, it’s a role custom made for him that he basically sleepwalks through the role without a sweat.

That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy his performance. On the contrary, this is the only Jeff Bridges that I know of and truly enjoy. So though Seventh Son, an adaptation of the fantasy novel The Spook’s Apprentice, is named after the young apprentice, we once again find Jeff Bridges at the center of the film. He’s a true star that you just want to see more of. Though the script is predictable and there’s not much of a character development throughout the film, you can be sure that Jeff Bridges delivers his part perfectly.

The film is a combination of The Seeker: The Dark is Rising and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It tries to fit as many elements into the 103 minutes of running time as it can: magic, love, action. However, the plot feels a little rush, and we never really see how Tom has progressed into a spook of his own. The film spends too much time building up the love story of Tom and Alice (the niece of Mother Malkin) but too bad the two players of the characters wasted it with zero chemistry. The climactic battle scene is fascinating, but the last battle involving Mother Malkin and Master Gregory basically ended before it began so that’s a buzzkill.

In overall, Seventh Son provides us with the kind of entertainment we need after a tired working day… at home, not necessarily in the cinema. But if you happen to choose watching it in the cinema, I’m sure you’ll still enjoy it though don’t expect to be wowed by it.

B