With the fantasy genre being far from my favourite, the approach to Seventh Son was one of trepidation. The generally bad reviews also didn’t help. Add the laughter that bubbled forth when Jeff Bridges uttered his ever so odd accent with the first line of dialogue and things got off to a rather rocky start, but from that moment forward things turned around.
Once you get pulled into its world of crazy, it’s actually a good bit of fun. Bridges as head Spook, Master Gregory has never been more over the top (and that’s saying something). A Spook in this context is one who helps deal with witches and other creatures that go bump in the night. They are also adept at hand-to-hand combat with a drink in one hand and little else.
The set up is thin with little more than a head demon to take down, this simplicity however is flushed out by the luminous presence of Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin (a big bad witch and sometimes dragon). Moore always has a strong screen presence and this time her character’s outlandish make up and ominous costume design adds a lot to the proceedings.
Seventh Son is a fun slice of escapist entertainment and going in with that thought in mind will help with one’s enjoyment. Shakespeare it’s not, but then if the Bard told tales of dark dungeons and fire spewing dragons who knows?
Rob Hudson
www.seventhson-movie.com.au
