--- title: "Seventh Son" year: 2014 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/seventh-son" fi1m_id: "seventh-son" imdb_id: "tt1121096" tmdb_id: 68737 wikidata_id: "Q74579" fi1m_score: 35 critics_score: 28 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-10-05T13:37:05.819966+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T13:37:44.176842+00:00" region: "IL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Seventh Son (2014) Directed by Sergei Bodrov · 1h 42m · Adventure, Fantasy ## Identity Seventh Son - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/seventh-son - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** seventh-son - **IMDb ID:** tt1121096 - **TMDB ID:** 68737 - **Wikidata ID:** Q74579 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1121096/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/68737, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q74579 **Fi1m score: 35** · Critics 28 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* Julianne Moore flies off as a dragon and we briefly hoped she was taking the film with her > Sergei Bodrov’s chosen-one fantasy has Jeff Bridges mumbling the rules, Julianne Moore enjoying herself as the witch, and a great deal of expensive wildlife that weighs nothing. Poor, loud and seldom dull enough to be restful; Moore is the reason to stay. ## Synopsis Decades after the Spook Master John Gregory (Jeff Bridges) caged the witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) inside a mountain, a blood moon is rising and she breaks free. Gregory tries to put her back and cannot, so the old man goes looking for an apprentice and finds Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), a farm boy, the seventh son of a seventh son, troubled by visions. His mother (Olivia Williams) gives him a pendant and he leaves. In a town on the way, Tom pulls Alice Deane (Alicia Vikander) away from a crowd with torches; she is the daughter of Bony Lizzie (Antje Traue), Malkin’s sister. Gregory has a week, until the moon is full, to make a boy into a witch-hunter. ## Review Sergei Bodrov made *Mongol* (2007), about a boy who becomes Genghis Khan, shot on real steppe with real horses and little talking. *Seventh Son* is the opposite in every way that counts. Adapted from Joseph Delaney’s *The Spook’s Apprentice* by Charles Leavitt and Steven Knight, from a story by Matt Greenberg, it is a chosen-one fantasy about a farm boy, a drinking master and a witch, much of it built in a computer and talked through from end to end. It reached British cinemas on 27 March 2015. It is poor, though not without a few things to watch. The master is John Gregory, played by Jeff Bridges with his lower jaw pushed forward and his words leaking out of the side of his mouth, as they did in [*True Grit*](https://film.one/film/true-grit) (2010). It worked there because Rooster Cogburn was a drunk in a book written in that voice. Here Gregory has to explain the rules: what a Spook is, what a seventh son can do, why the blood moon matters. We lost perhaps one line in four and did not miss them. We laughed at the voice the first few times, as a joke Bridges seemed to share with us, and then it became the only thing he was doing. Julianne Moore’s Mother Malkin is the reason to stay. Jacqueline West has dressed her in gowns with shoulders like a beetle’s casing and trains that take a second to arrive, and Moore moves in them as though she has owned them for a century. She hisses, she stalks, and she turns into a dragon when an argument is going against her. Every time she left the screen the film sagged, and every time she came back we sat up. We wished it had been her story. It is Tom Ward’s story instead. Ben Barnes is handsome and willing and has nothing to play but a man being told what he is, which the script does every ten minutes in case we have forgotten. Alicia Vikander, as the half-witch Alice, is given a cloak, a secret and a love affair with Tom that goes from first glance to devotion with no stops between. Djimon Hounsou and Jason Scott Lee, as two of Malkin’s lieutenants, each turn into something large with claws and are gone before they have said much. The creatures are the film’s big spend. They are detailed and lit with care, and they weigh nothing; a beast the size of a cottage knocks a man flat and the ground does not notice. Newton Thomas Sigel shoots the mountains and pine forests in a cool grey light that suits the material, and then the film cuts to Dante Ferretti’s black stone fortress for Malkin, lit a dim orange where one tower looks like another. Ferretti’s best work is Gregory’s cluttered house, all jars and chains and hanging tools, which the film visits and leaves. Marco Beltrami’s score announces every entrance with brass and a choir, so that a man walking into a tavern sounds like the end of the world. Three editors are credited, Jim Page, Michael Kahn and Paul Rubell, and the joins show. Scenes end a beat early or late, and a scuffle in a town where a crowd has decided Alice is a witch is over before we know who is hitting whom. The screenplay gives the witch a deadline, the blood moon in a week, then sends Gregory and Tom on a walking tour with no particular hurry, stopping to train, to fight whatever Malkin has sent, and to let Tom fall in love. By the hour mark we were bored, in the way of watching money spent on nothing: each set piece cost more than the last and mattered less. The 12A certificate suggests who this was for, and a child of eleven might get something from the dragon and Moore’s teeth. Most critics have been harsher than this, and we understand why, but we have sat through duller fantasies with worse witches. Watch it, if you must, for Moore, and for the pleasure of hearing Jeff Bridges say the word Spook in a voice that has plainly never met the word before. *Fi1m score 35, published 5 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics dismiss Seventh Son as a dull, generic fantasy that leans on computer-generated spectacle and gives little back. Of eighteen reviews, none is positive and only three are mixed. The same words recur: derivative, predictable, lifeless, forgettable. What praise there is goes to Julianne Moore, whom several reviewers find plainly enjoying herself as the witch Mother Malkin, and to the creature effects and digital landscapes, which a handful admit look expensive even when they fail to raise the pulse. The main split is over Jeff Bridges. The AV Club finds his odd performance the most interesting thing on screen, and Consequence thinks both leads are fun enough to make the film passably entertaining. Most of the rest find him hammy or mumbling, and several single out his accent. The spread is otherwise narrow: even the kindest notices call the story familiar, and Paste’s case that the film is entertainingly awful is about as warm as the reviews get. ## Straight answers **Is Seventh Son worth watching?** *Seventh Son* is not worth watching for most people, and we scored it 35. Jeff Bridges mumbles the rules, the creatures weigh nothing and the plot forgets its own deadline. The one reason to stay is Julianne Moore as the witch Mother Malkin, who looks as though she is enjoying herself more than anyone else on screen. **How long is Seventh Son, and what is it rated?** *Seventh Son* runs 1h 42m. It is an adventure and fantasy film. **Where can I watch Seventh Son in Israel?** *Seventh Son* is available to rent from Apple TV from ₪16.90. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Seventh Son, and is it suitable for children?** *Seventh Son* is a 12A fantasy with fighting, monsters and a witch who turns into a dragon, but nothing more adult than that. There are beasts with claws, a crowd with torches and a good deal of noise, which may unsettle younger children. We think a child of eleven or so could manage it, and might get something from the dragon. **Is Seventh Son based on a true story or a book?** *Seventh Son* is based on a novel, Joseph Delaney's *The Spook's Apprentice*, and not on a true story. The screenplay, by Charles Leavitt and Steven Knight from a story by Matt Greenberg, keeps the master, the apprentice and the witch, but we cannot say how faithful it is beyond that. You do not need to know the book to follow it; the film explains its rules every ten minutes. ### Reviews we read (18) - **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (64/100, inferred): The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no readable comment identifying a particular strength or weakness. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/seventh-son/5082740.article) - **The AV Club**, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (C): The review finds the fantasy mostly dull and generic, despite its brisk pace. It singles out Jeff Bridges’ odd, engaging performance as the film’s most interesting element. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/witch-hunter-jeff-bridges-is-the-most-interesting-part-1798182634) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (2/5): Ferguson calls the film a noisy but lazy fantasy epic. He praises Julianne Moore’s enjoyment of her wicked-witch role, while finding Jeff Bridges annoyingly hammy. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mzvg94/seventh-son/) - **Total Film**, Ken McIntyre (2/5): The critic finds the film disposable and dull despite its considerable budget. He praises the sumptuous digital kingdom and lifelike creatures, but says the effects cannot enliven the proceedings. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/seventh-son-review/) - **Empire**, William Goss (35/100, inferred): Goss finds the film an unimaginative fantasy that leans on computer-generated spectacle. He gives some credit to Bodrov’s steady direction, humour, and creature confrontations. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/seventh-son-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jordan Mintzer (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the fantasy watchable but derivative and forgettable. They single out the enjoyable spectacle of Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore dueling amid elaborate effects and Canadian scenery. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/seventh-son-film-review-758796/) - **Slant Magazine**, Elise Nakhnikian (1/4): Nakhnikian finds the film a clumsy, predictable collection of fantasy tropes. She praises the spark between Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, but says it cannot redeem the film’s weak dialogue and characters. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/seventh-son/) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (1/5): Huddleston pans the tiresome adaptation. The film’s delayed journey to the big screen is singled out as part of its troubled presentation. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/seventh-son) - **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (10/100, inferred): Sharkey calls the film a likely contender for the year’s worst, faulting nearly every aspect. She singles out the flat performances, vapid dialogue and Jeff Bridges’ unconvincing accent. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-seventh-son-review-20150206-column.html) - **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (10/100, inferred): Kermode dismisses the film as a dull, incoherent failure. He singles out Jeff Bridges’s garbled dialogue and the lumbering CGI action as particular problems. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/29/seventh-son-review-dull-as-ditchwater-fantasy-romp-jeff-bridges-julianne-moore) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (10/100, inferred): Debruge finds the fantasy epic a creative failure, with little chemistry among its leads. He particularly faults the cluttered effects and Jeff Bridges’s awkward performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-seventh-son-1201381740/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (10/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film ridiculous, bland, and too lifeless to deliver even generic fantasy pleasures. He singles out the imaginative creature effects as a rare moment that briefly captures attention. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/seventh-son-is-as-boring-as-it-gets.html) - **Consequence**, Dominick Suzanne-Mayer (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the film reasonably entertaining despite its familiar, predictable story. Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore’s performances are singled out as fun, with particular praise for Moore’s lively turn as Mother Malkin. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/02/film-review-seventh-son/) - **Paste**, Andy Crump (35/100, inferred): Crump finds the film entertainingly awful, though its dull climax undermines the fun. He praises the costuming while criticizing the script, acting, and action. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/seventh-son) - **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (1/5): The critic pans the film as a generic, soulless imitation with little originality. He singles out Jeff Bridges’s self-parodic performance and the young leads’ lack of chemistry for particular criticism. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/books/seventh-son-review/) - **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (10/100, inferred): The critic pans the film as flat, predictable, and uninspired fantasy. He finds Julianne Moore at least entertaining, but criticizes Jeff Bridges’s mumbling performance and the film’s effects and score. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a637699/seventh-son-review-julianne-moore-and-jeff-bridges-lead-a-fantasy-flop/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (10/100, inferred): The critic finds the film terrible and its screenplay and performances deeply flawed. The review singles out Jeff Bridges’s exaggerated performance as especially poor, while noting that the CGI is impressive in parts. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/seventh-son-review/) - **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (10/100, inferred): The critic dismisses the film as a clumsy, cluttered fantasy that is unlikely to achieve its blockbuster ambitions. He singles out Jeff Bridges’s mumbled performance and the overstuffed CGI spectacle as sources of unintentional comedy. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/review-seventh-son-review-jeff-bridges-julianne-moore-ben-barnes/) ## Details - **Director:** Sergei Bodrov - **Director:** Sergei Bodrov - **Screenplay:** Charles Leavitt, Steven Knight - **Story:** Matt Greenberg - **Novel:** Joseph Delaney - **Cinematography:** Newton Thomas Sigel - **Editor:** Jim Page, Paul Rubell, Michael Kahn - **Music:** Marco Beltrami - **Production design:** Dante Ferretti - **Costume design:** Jacqueline West - **Producer:** Basil Iwanyk, Lionel Wigram, Thomas Tull - **Cast:** Jeff Bridges as Master John Gregory; Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin; Ben Barnes as Tom Ward; Alicia Vikander as Alice Deane; John DeSantis as Tusk - Zanna; Kit Harington as William "Billy" Bradley; Djimon Hounsou as Radu; Olivia Williams as Mam Ward - **Runtime:** 1h 42m - **First release (Spain):** 12 December 2014 - **Genres:** Adventure, Fantasy - **Budget:** $95 million - **Box office:** $114 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i90Qr0Qi6w ## Where to watch in Israel - Apple TV: rent ₪16.90, hd - Apple TV: buy ₪29.90, sd *Checked 2026-10-05.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Dragonslayer* (1981): An apprentice, a dying wizard and a dragon with real weight; the film this wants to be - *Willow* (1988): Chosen-one fantasy that knows it is a bit silly and lets its witch have fun - *Stardust* (2007), Fi1m 75: Witches, a quest and Michelle Pfeiffer enjoying herself more than anyone else on screen — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stardust.md) - *Mongol* (2007): Bodrov on real steppe with real horses, and a reminder of what he can do - *Viy* (1967): A Soviet witch tale in a wooden church; cheap, strange and far more frightening --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/seventh-son