Synopsis

Tom Ward (Barnes) is a young farmhand helping his family tend their land. One day a mysterious knight named Master Gregory (Bridges) appears and tells him he’s the last seventh son of a seventh son and he must join him on a quest to stop the evil witch Mother Malkin and her army of dark and magical creatures. Before he leaves, his mother gives him a special stone to wear around his neck.

After enduring brutal training and a surviving a battle with a huge bear, he learns that Mother Malkin has recently escaped from her prison and is bent on destroying the world as he knows it. Since Gregory’s last apprentice was killed, Tom is the last seventh son capable of defeating the witches. When he learns the secrets of his past and who he really is he must decide whether to give in to his feelings or sacrifice them for the sake of humanity.

Specifications
Seventh Son - Blu-ray Movie Review
Universal
2014, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 42 mins
DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges
Directed by Sergei Bodrov

Rating

Entertainment:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: No
Language: No

Commentary

I had a difficult engaging with this film. The story is one that’s been told a hundred different ways before and there is nothing new here. The characters are not terribly compelling either thanks to a weak script and merely average performances. Ben Barnes does a credible job as the hunky young hero and manages to create good on-screen chemistry with his love interest, played by Alicia Vikander. Julianne Moore tries her best to play evil witch Mother Malkin but I think she was mis-cast. She’s a great actress but I just couldn’t quite see her as a dark super-natural being. Jeff Bridges is the biggest disappointment. He pretty much phones in his performance and delivers his lines as if his mouth were full of molasses. You really have to concentrate to understand him.

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There are plenty of better fantasy films out there if you’re looking to rent a fun flick for the weekend. Seventh Son is tolerable if there is nothing else available at the rental kiosk.

Seventh Son - Blu-ray Movie Review

Technical

The image varies quite a bit in quality. Many scenes are dark and murky with smeared highlights and soft detail. Closeup shots have far more clarity and depth with warm saturated color and excellent contrast. Overall however, this Blu-ray does not compete well with other modern transfers.

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Audio is clean and clear with good use of the surrounds and occasional moments of deep bass. Dialog is nicely detailed as well but does little to improve Jeff Bridges poor delivery. The best part is the musical score which reminded me of films from Hollywood’s golden age. Kudos to composer Marco Beltrami who has scored dozens of hit action flicks like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Live Free or Die Hard.

Seventh Son - Blu-ray Movie Review

Extras

Bonus features include a 30-minute making-of featurette, a short presentation on the lore behind the story, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and several shorts on the visual effects used in the film.

Seventh Son - Blu-ray Movie Review