Who Would Watch "Seventh Son" - First Trailer

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures Presents

The First Trailer for The Big Lebowski's Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore's new fantasy film has premiered today called "SEVENTH SON."

What is it about?

The official synopsis states:

In a time long past, an evil is about to be unleashed that will reignite the war between the forces of the supernatural and humankind once more. Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) is a knight who had imprisoned the malevolently powerful witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), centuries ago. But now she has escaped and is seeking vengeance. Summoning her followers of every incarnation, Mother Malkin is preparing to unleash her terrible wrath on an unsuspecting world. Only one thing stands in her way: Master Gregory. In a deadly reunion, Gregory comes face to face with the evil he always feared would someday return. He has only until the next full moon to do what usually takes years: train his new apprentice, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) to fight a dark magic unlike any other. Man’s only hope lies in the seventh son of a seventh son.

To put in a nutshell, it is pretty much the standard fantasy story. Judging from what the trailer showcased, it doesn't really seem to be about anything else. Then again most fantasy stories have more or less the same exact plot. A chosen one, a dark being, a wise mentor, a love interest, monsters, quest, and some form of a happy ending. Then again there are the rare chances that there may not be a happy ending, but for most of the part, this looks like standard fantasy.

What is the vibe of the movie?

Based on the trailer the vibe of the movie seems to be leaning on towards a more fun action fantasy. This was given from the opening shot that reminded me of something from Disney's Prince of Persia accompanied by trailer music used to promote Disney's John Carter (both of which may not be good signs) that already shows a very obvious CGI environment but then is followed by a carriage shot that looks like it was taken from Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman. However the shot after then seems to look like something from Paramount's Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Then later on it starts feeling like a mix between stuff from Eragon and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. All those films I listed have pretty conflicting tones in their approach to tell fantasy stories (with the exception of John Carter which is more associated with Sci-Fi) yet as I stated before this film seems to have a fun action vibe. It is definitely showcasing itself to be a spectacle, something to have fun with rather than take seriously. Judging from the look of it however, the way that the trailer is put together doesn't really give a clear sign of whether or not that is what the movie is going for. Indeed the previews for Hansel and Gretel were more obvious with the whole fun vibe, while most of the other movies I mentioned were promoting themselves as serious films. This one...while it seems to be serious, all of the action scenes are saying, "shut up and have fun while we take your money!"

Who Would Watch Seventh Son?

If you happen to be a fan of ALL the films I listed in the "vibe" section then this film may be for you. However it really is hard to tell at this point whether or not this movie will be a winner for Fantasy Film fans. After all most of the films that I've listed above have been pretty mediocre. Yes, I personally consider the first part of The Hobbit trilogy to be mediocre. Mainly because the vibe from the Lord of the Rings is completely different from the vibe from The Hobbit. Not to mention the overuse of CGI. But I digress. In relation to this film however, it may be coming off as in between Eragon and Snow White and the Huntsman in terms of what to expect from Seventh Son. It may be good enough to satisfy  fantasy fans but may not be good enough to satisfy fans of the book. Yes, this movie is based on a book as stated in the trailer. I haven't read the books, but from fan reaction that I've read so far, it doesn't look to be too faithful. So I think it may be safe to say that fans of the series may not like this interpretation, the same way Eragon fans did not like the film. As for the average movie goer, you'd have to be a really big fantasy fan if you want to get your fantasy fix that's not from a book. As of right now, that seems to be all the target audience. Maybe some action and monster fans would watch it too, but as of right now, its hard to say.