Trailer Tuesday: Seventh Son

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If it wasn't for the significant pedigree involved in this production, you could read the premise for Seventh Son and dismiss it instantly as another dire "Chosen One" fantasy flick - a (should be) straight-to-DVD effort shot in the stone-cobbled alleys of Eastern Europe, and probably starring Nic Cage.

 However, this "inspired by" novel adaptation stars acting heavyweights Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore  - who don't conventionally go in for this type of CGI-heavy, magical adventure - and it's from production company Legendary Pictures. And Legendary has, of course, been involved in a number of high profile, geek-orientated projects with Warner Bros over the past few years, like most of the live-action DC Comics adaptations.


For the record, Seventh Son sees Ben Barnes play the title character, a farm boy (yes, again!) who has supernatural abilities because of the fact he is the seventh son of a seventh son. Because of his rare gift he is the only one who can apprentice under Bridges' Master Gregory, a "Spook" who has for centuries battled "the Dark." In the case of this movie, the major black magic threat is shape-shifting Mother Malkin (Moore) a centuries' old witch who is out for vengeance. Also starring in Seventh Son are Kit "John Snow" Harington, Djimon Hounsou and Antje Traue.

Seventh Son originated as an adaptation of the first Wardstone Chronicles book - entitled The Spook's Apprentice, a fantasy series targeted at the Young Adult demographic. Judging by the trailer though, Seventh Son is trying to position itself as a grim-faced tale of badassery. More The Lord of the Rings and Snow White and the Huntsman than The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Also concerning is Seventh Son's North American release date - 17 January. As far as cinema scheduling goes, the post-festive season period is generally regarded as a dumping ground for the weird, mediocre and unmarketable. You know, your average Nic Cage  movie these days. The fact that Seventh Son is opening at this time suggest it's something studio heads have little faith in and are just putting out with no real interest in making a profit. The fact that it's screening in CONVERTED 3D suggests there's a move afoot to milk audiences of every penny.

So, yeah, Seventh Son could be great. Or it could be try-hard seen-it-all-before fantasy trash... Time will tell.

The film's South African release date has yet to be set.

Comments

silentcoder said…
I might watch it simply because the books it is based on was the inspiration for one of the greatest Iron Maiden albums of all, entitled (you guessed it) Seventh Son of a Seventh son. The title track of which is considered on of the seminal songs of the power-metal (heavy metal with fantasy and sifi inspiration) genre.
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