Seventh Son (2014)
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A seventh son of a seventh son must apprentice under a witch hunter to stop a powerful sorceress from unleashing destruction.
The story
In 1572, the witch Malkin was imprisoned by Gregory, the last of the Falcons, a knightly order defending mankind against supernatural threats. Years later, Gregory works as a 'spook'—a roving witch hunter. When Malkin escapes and begins gathering an army of minions to harness the power of a coming blood moon, Gregory seeks out Tom Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, to serve as his new apprentice. Tom must quickly learn the ways of the spook while the trio prepares to face Malkin's mountain fortress before the moon rises.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1572, the witch Malkin was imprisoned by Gregory, the last of the Falcons. Centuries later, Gregory, now a 'spook' witch hunter, seeks out Tom Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, as his apprentice. Tom's mother gives him a talisman, the Umbran Stone, which was stolen from Malkin. During his training, Tom meets Alice, a girl he saves from being burned as a witch; she is actually Malkin's daughter, Bony Lizzie's child, sent to spy on Gregory. As the blood moon approaches, the trio travels to Malkin's fortress. Along the way, Tom struggles with his conscience when asked to burn a werebear. They are attacked by a boggart, and Tom faces Bony Lizzie. Malkin eventually kills Tom's mother, who had been hiding the stone. Alice tries to flee with Tom, but they are pursued by Gregory and Tusk. Malkin captures Gregory, but Tom discovers his unique power as the son of a witch. In the final confrontation, Malkin transforms into a dragon. Tom retrieves the stone, and together with Gregory and Alice, they defeat Malkin's minions. Malkin kills Lizzie but is wounded. Gregory confronts her, and Tom delivers a final blow, killing Malkin. Gregory brands Tom as a Falcon knight, and Tom and Tusk continue the work of hunting witches.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States; Canada; China; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sergei Bodrov
- Writers
- Charles Leavitt · screenplay; Steven Knight · screenplay; Matt Greenberg · story
- Cast and characters
- Jeff Bridges; Ben Barnes · Thomas Ward; Alicia Vikander · Alice; Kit Harington; Olivia Williams; Antje Traue; Djimon Hounsou; Julianne Moore
- Genres
- action; fantasy; dark fantasy; high fantasy
- Themes
- Good vs. Evil; Destiny; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Dark; Epic; Action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- Witchcraft; Apprenticeship; Supernatural; Fantasy Quest
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney (2004)
- Reception
- The film was a box office failure and received generally negative reviews from critics, described as a dull and ill-conceived fantasy adventure.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 30 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- The film's budget ballooned to $110 million by the time production wrapped.; A. R. Rahman was originally announced to compose the score but left the project in July 2013.; Sam Claflin was in negotiations to star as Tom Ward before being replaced by Ben Barnes.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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