I'm going to give this a reasonably high rating because I actually quite enjoyed it, though I have since discovered that it has been absolutely plastered by the critics. Okay, I agree that it is the same tired old fantasy story with some great special effects, and it did feel a little lame, especially as we get to the end of the film, but that didn't mean I didn't like it. I have certainly seen worse, and it is a good dose of fantasy that is short enough not to drag and long enough to keep me satisfied.
The story is about the seventh son of a seventh son who, surprisingly, has magical abilities. Now, the world is about to be threatened by an evil witch as the blood moon approaches, and the only man that can stand up to her, a spook (read witch hunter) named Gregory, has lost his last apprentice. So with very little time available he grabs the only option available – Tom, in an attempt to train him up so that they can stop the coming apocalypse.
There are a couple of funny things with this film, such as Tom dreaming of one day leaving his farm and becoming great. Isn't this just so Hollywood. I sometimes wonder if peasants ever thought that, especially the young adults, who have probably had the fact that they will be a peasant for the rest of their lives beaten into them since they were a child. Okay, people dream, but I found it interesting that this idea of the dreamer packing up and leaving for great adventures as something that always appears in Hollywood, and in fantasy literature of all stripes, but is never really true for the real world.
Then there is this idea about witches. Why is it that witches are always evil? I suspect that it has something to do with our Christian heritage, and also that the term has been tarnish with the picture of devil worshipers. To me a witch is probably more of a herbalist that lived by herself as opposed to a practitioner of dark magic. However this idea has come down to us, and to me, having a bunch of witches as the villains of the piece is also another tired cliché that I am getting a little sick hearing. However, despite that, I liked the movie, and so did my brother, so I guess that is all that counts.
The story is about the seventh son of a seventh son who, surprisingly, has magical abilities. Now, the world is about to be threatened by an evil witch as the blood moon approaches, and the only man that can stand up to her, a spook (read witch hunter) named Gregory, has lost his last apprentice. So with very little time available he grabs the only option available – Tom, in an attempt to train him up so that they can stop the coming apocalypse.
There are a couple of funny things with this film, such as Tom dreaming of one day leaving his farm and becoming great. Isn't this just so Hollywood. I sometimes wonder if peasants ever thought that, especially the young adults, who have probably had the fact that they will be a peasant for the rest of their lives beaten into them since they were a child. Okay, people dream, but I found it interesting that this idea of the dreamer packing up and leaving for great adventures as something that always appears in Hollywood, and in fantasy literature of all stripes, but is never really true for the real world.
Then there is this idea about witches. Why is it that witches are always evil? I suspect that it has something to do with our Christian heritage, and also that the term has been tarnish with the picture of devil worshipers. To me a witch is probably more of a herbalist that lived by herself as opposed to a practitioner of dark magic. However this idea has come down to us, and to me, having a bunch of witches as the villains of the piece is also another tired cliché that I am getting a little sick hearing. However, despite that, I liked the movie, and so did my brother, so I guess that is all that counts.