It’s no “Lord of the Rings,” of course, but it’s a film that firmly grabs you with its visuals, pleases with its beautiful actors, and doesn’t overload you with chatter. Not the worst gift under the Christmas tree.
Tom, growing up as an ordinary shepherd-peasant, doesn’t suspect that his life will change dramatically very soon. Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son, which means fate gives him a chance to become a witcher’s apprentice, a knight, a monster hunter. And it only seems that witches don’t exist – the most powerful of them has just escaped from her prison and is ready to start a real hunt for people. The aging Master Gregory and Tom, who has only a week instead of the usual ten years to master the witcher’s craft, will have to confront the ancient sorceress and her company of demons, werewolves, and monsters…
Seventh Son: A New Fantasy Contender?
After the finale of the long-running Tolkien saga in Middle-earth, it’s somewhat awkward to start talking about a new fantasy project. How can you?! The corpses at the foot of the Lonely Mountain haven’t cooled down yet, and new contenders for the viewer’s love are already breathing down our necks, and serious contenders at that, with dragons, swords, castles, witchcraft, and the indispensable artifacts of omnipotence. “Seventh Son” by Sergei Bodrov has all of this, so why shouldn’t it take the vacant throne?
Joseph Delaney, the author of the novel “The Witcher’s Apprentice,” turned to the topic of witches and spirits after witnessing several poltergeist manifestations in old houses and a church near where he lived.
Let the haters of Russian cinema not be bothered by the name Sergei Bodrov, “Seventh Son” is a studio project, and, as in many large studio projects, there is much more of the producer’s input in “Son” than the director’s. It’s very difficult, looking at the rich, glossy, detailed, action-packed picture of “Son,” to compare it with the modest, laconic scenes of “Prisoner of the Mountains” or the unhurried Akyn singing of “Mongol.” Bodrov in “Son” appears completely different, which cannot but arouse interest and simple human respect – in the middle of his seventh decade, not every director will get involved in such an adventure.
The producers of Thunder Road had long dreamed of working with Sergei Bodrov, but could not find a suitable script. To their surprise, Bodrov himself became interested in “Seventh Son” and readily agreed to direct it.
However, the adventure turned out to be well-calculated. The movie turned out to be action-packed, beautiful, not too stupid, but not overloaded with philosophy and cunning wisdom – dragons, knights, monsters, children don’t need anything more. It is precisely for children, because “Seventh Son” is a movie for a family audience, primarily aimed at teenagers aged 13-15. There is exactly enough blood and death that the not-so-delicate child’s body can withstand, exactly the kind of chaste relationships between the characters that should be preached to young viewers, and a fairly simple, almost monosyllabic moral, but who demands anything else from a fairy tale?
“Seventh Son” is a fairly simple fairy tale, with a setup that even somewhat resembles the recent “Maleficent”: a witch deceived by a man and deprived of love goes off the rails in search of revenge, and, of course, no one but the treacherous knight who deceived the woman can fix anything. But all this is just lyrics, not the strongest side of the project. “Son” reveals its power in numerous battle scenes, generously seasoned with special effects. Yes, in some places the graphics are a bit lame, sometimes reminiscent of the classic “plasticine battles” of Ray Harryhausen, but these are largely nitpicks. The movie turned out to be spectacular and quite worthy of being watched on the big screen in the best available quality.
Performances and Drawbacks
It is gratifying that the actors are not lost against the background of dragon battles. The beautiful Julianne Moore in the unusual role of a terrible bitch is beautiful to the point of dragon tooth grinding in her incredible outfits. Jeff Bridges in the image of Don Quixote with his signature mustache and beard with grumpy caustic remarks has not gone far from his character from “R.I.P.D.”, even though he is more alive (in every sense). The dazzling Alicia Vikander, combining fragility with confidence and assertiveness, will be a gift for young men, and Ben Barnes will please the female audience. Something for everyone.
The only serious claim to “Seventh Son” can only be the secondary nature of the source material – there is nothing in the plot that could captivate, surprise, or amaze a more or less well-read fantasy fan, but this is a question for Joseph Delaney, the author of the novel “The Witcher’s Apprentice.” If we compare “Son” with “47 Ronin,” which started in theaters at the same time a year ago, then Bodrov’s film will be, excuse me, more cheerful – and this is exactly what you need in the New Year: exciting adventures and a good mood from the inevitable happy ending.