Unlucky Seventh

The Dude vs. The Dragon

The fantasy genre has been a reliable go-to place to create box office gold, but nowadays it seems Hollywood is desperate to produce anything to replicate the same success as Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings. The problem with that is now every film that falls into the same category as those two franchises will unfortunately be measured to the quality of those films. Sadly, Seventh Son falls victim to this circumstance as it borrows many fantasy staples seen before but doesn't try in the least to do something unique with them. The story follows an infamous spook called Sir Gregory (Jeff Bridges) who for many years has protected his country from the likes of witches and otherworldly creatures. However, Sir Gregory has grown older and is the last

living member of this particular group. As such, he seeks an apprentice to take up his stead and to defeat an evil witch called Mother Malkin (Susan Sarandon) who threatens to plague the world with darkness; specifically a seventh son of a seventh son (don't bother asking why; they don't really go into much detail on this). Sir Gregory comes across Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes), a young farm boy who lacks the skills to be a spook but holds a secret history that could be the key to ultimately defeat Mother Malkin. That's pretty much the story which when you think about it is the most basic set up for every other fantasy film made: world in danger, evil threatens it, and an individual with a unique background rises to the occasion to save it. Don't think so? Let's go over a few examples: Frodo (The Lord of the Rings), Perseus (Clash of the Titans), Connor Macleod (Highlander)....need I go on? Seventh Son gets kudos for trying but unfortunately, it's been done.

Reviewed by Razor, 5/30/15