--- title: "Seventh Son: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/seventh-son/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/seventh-son" critics_score: 28 critics_reviews: 18 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): what the critics said Critics' score 28 from 18 reviews: 0 positive, 3 mixed, 15 negative. 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. ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2015. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no readable comment identifying a particular strength or weakness. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/seventh-son/5082740.article) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating C. 5 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/witch-hunter-jeff-bridges-is-the-most-interesting-part-1798182634) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mzvg94/seventh-son/) ## Total Film — Ken McIntyre Rating 2/5. 23 March 2015. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/seventh-son-review/) ## Empire — William Goss Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2013. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/seventh-son-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jordan Mintzer Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2014. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/seventh-son-film-review-758796/) ## Slant Magazine — Elise Nakhnikian Rating 1/4. 4 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/seventh-son/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 1/5. 24 March 2015. Huddleston pans the tiresome adaptation. The film’s delayed journey to the big screen is singled out as part of its troubled presentation. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/seventh-son) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-seventh-son-review-20150206-column.html) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2015. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/29/seventh-son-review-dull-as-ditchwater-fantasy-romp-jeff-bridges-julianne-moore) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2014. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-seventh-son-1201381740/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/seventh-son-is-as-boring-as-it-gets.html) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2015/02/film-review-seventh-son/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/seventh-son) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 1/5. 5 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/books/seventh-son-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2015. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a637699/seventh-son-review-julianne-moore-and-jeff-bridges-lead-a-fantasy-flop/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/seventh-son-review/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2015. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/review-seventh-son-review-jeff-bridges-julianne-moore-ben-barnes/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/seventh-son.md