Stupid fun. Getting too deep into specific details seems like it would be counterproductive to everyone’s time, so to keep it abbreviated: this is about a warrior mentor (Jeff Bridges), grooming the seventh son of the seventh son (Ben Barnes) to be a witch slayer and combatant of general evil. This is yet another movie that I thought looked lackluster at best from the trailer, but I still blindly charged into it. However, unlike the dreadful Mortdecai, this is something that I was actually able to enjoy myself while watching, in a goofy sort of way.
There is an entire assortment of different types of dragons, how can you not enjoy it at least on some base level?
I knew that this had Ben Barnes, who I haven’t seen in a few years. When this first started, I immediately thought to myself how much he looks like Jon Snow… only to soon realize that it was actually Kit Harington for a small role in first act. It’s not long before Barnes comes into the story. I remember back when he was going to be the next golden child of leading men; he has the look of a heartthrob actor, but those Narnia movies just didn’t gain as much traction as originally intended. But it’s okay, A-list acting isn’t destined for everyone, and if he tries hard enough, he may be able to get consistent work as a character actor. He’s fine, but the real reason to watch this is for Jeff Bridges playing this drunken warrior mentor who happens to be the biggest badass in all of Westeros the land.
This isn’t Shakespeare, nor does it pretend to be.
I will admit, it’s typically never a good sign when a film gets pushed back a couple of years, or when the studio goes bankrupt mid-production on a film. It’s also never a good sign when a film gets dumped in February, and while all of the above happened here, that did not stop me from having a good time with this, perhaps I was just in the right mood for it. Both Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore are chewing scenery, and they make this movie more entertaining than it has any right to be with plenty of one-liners. It moves fast, and what puts this film above most is that it knows exactly what it is, and it delivers exactly what it promises. You’re watching this to see action, swordplay and dragons, and Seventh Son has a surplus in all three. The special effects look good enough, but are not groundbreaking, which is appropriate enough for the material. If there is anything about this that interests you, I can give this a fun rental recommendation, as there is enough here that you will have a good time with it.
Seventh Son (2014) ***
– Critic for Hire
Critic for Hire 