Loosely derived from the first two books in Joseph Delaney's YA fantasy series The Last Spook's Apprentice—set in the north of England during medieval times—Seventh Son stars Ben Barnes as Tom, a young man who yearns to leave the family farm in search of excitement. Apprenticed to Gregory (Jeff Bridges), a so-called Spook whose job is to hunt down and destroy evil creatures, the pair take on Malkin (Julianne Moore), Queen of Witches, who recently escaped from her underground prison through the influence of the Blood Moon, a centennial phenomenon that lends her special powers—including the ability to change into a dragon. Malkin has a passel of helpers who are also shape-shifters—turning into a leopard, a bear, and another dragon. The feeble plot consists of some perfunctory training sequences before Tom and drunken old coot Gregory set off in pursuit of Malkin on a quest that is complicated by the intervention of the beauteous daughter of the witch's devoted assistant, who turns Tom's head as he and Gregory wend their way through a series of tiresome adventures. Another series in which story plays second fiddle to CGI effects, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted and alternate scenes (28 min.), a “Forging a Medieval Realm” making-of featurette (7 min.), and an alternate ending (1 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Defenders of Good” (9 min.), “Resurrecting the Wicked” (9 min.), and “The Legend and Lore of the Seventh Son” (4 min.), a visual effects gallery (4 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this so-so YA fantasy film.] (F. Swietek)
Seventh Son
Universal, 102 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.98, May 26 Volume 30, Issue 3
Seventh Son
Star Ratings
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