I've rented many a film over the last year, knowing exactly what I was getting into, going-in with meager expectations, and all too often, even those haven't been met. Stathom's "Wild Card", "In Cold Blood"... You know, films that you know aren't going to be great, but you just hope they keep your attention and fill whatever genre craving I happen to have that particular evening.

This particular night, i craved some fantasy. Rented "Dracula untold"(haven't watched yet),and this film.

I was surprised by the a-list of actors - albeit some of them seem to be branching over to the 'slightly washed-up' category. Bridges is good as usual. His character adds just the right amount of brevity to the film. He's the glue here.

The film is paced perfectly. I knew it was going to be alright when i read the word cliché' 10 times in the first 4written reviews.

Thats usually a "shoe-in" for "will exceed expectations".

"The Seventh Son" does travel over beaten paths, but it's still an entertaining passing of the time. It's better than "Snow WHite and the Huntsmen", "Jack the Giant Slayer", "Season of the Witch", and "Prince of Persia", but it's not quite as good as "Maleficient". Still good for the genre, especially recently.

If you're craving mindless fantasy, it does the trick. 61/100

Set in medieval times in Europe somewhere, "Seventh Son" brings us back to a time when supernatural beings like witches, ghosts, ghasts and the like wreak terror on the countryside. The people depend on a special knight called the "Spook" to fight these creatures and restore peace.

Master Gregory is the last spook and he is getting on in age. In his last big fight with the grand witch Mother Malkin, he lost his latest apprentice Billy. Gregory searches for another "seventh son of a seventh son" to take his place.

His quest leads him to the farm of the Wards. As the young impulsive Tom heeds the Spook's call, will he be up to the task of becoming the new Spook before Mother Malkin fully regains her powers by the night of the blood moon? Or will Tom's falling for the charms of pretty Alice distract him from his destiny?

Cut down to its basic storyline, you would see a very common basic plot in many an adventure film: an old master training an heir-apparent to his position. This film takes that plot and brings into it fantastic monsters in action and teenage romance in bloom.

Ben Barnes plays Tom Ward. Barnes first gained attention as Prince Caspian in the Narnia films, though his career did not really fly too much. He takes another stab at stardom with yet another action fantasy with this one. Already a adult man, Barnes seemed too old for the character he is supposed to play. Anyhow, he still has a youthful mien to pull it off. I think he was cast so that a romance angle can be developed as well.

Jeff Bridges plays Master Gregory. He is at his hammy best here and he looks like he had a good time filming this. In fact, Bridges felt like he just reprised his role in last year's "RIPD", where he was a senior ghost policeman training a new recruit. Bridges had some witty ripostes which added the requisite humor to the proceedings.

Julianne Moore goes all campy playing Mother Malkin with evil relish and glee. She gets to wear more witchy-chic than Maleficent and she seemed to be having a field day with this over-the-top character, much unlike the more serious and quiet ones she is more known for. In addition, she and her coven of powerful witches (played by Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, Jason Scott Lee, among others) get to transform into dragons and similarly fantastic beasts, thanks to neat and nifty computer- generated special effects.

This film is based on the young adult novel "The Spook's Apprentice" written by Joseph Delaney. Unlike the atmospheric creepy book it was based on, the film is makes it more of an action fantasy for cinematic verve. Tom and Alice in the book are both pre-teens. The witch characters did not fit their descriptions in the book as well. They did not turn into animals, for one. In fact, one of the side characters, the deformed humanoid Tusk, even shifts over from evil in the book to good in the film.

The visual effects were hit and miss, some (like the creature transformations) were impressive and seamless, but some (like the conflagrations) looked old-fashioned and garishly fake. Book fans may be disappointed by the major deviations from the original tale. Those who are unfamiliar with the book though will be entertained, but will definitely feel that the story being told by director Sergey Bodrov follows a tired and very familiar formula. 6/10.

The witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore) is imprisoned down a pit by Gregory (Jeff Bridges). Long time after, Malkin escapes and John Gregory is the last of the knights of the order of Falcons. She kills his apprentice William Bradley. He recruits a replacement, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes),who is a farm boy and the seventh son of a seventh son. Tom rescues Alice (Alicia Vikander) who is about to be burnt as a witch. She's the daughter of Malkin's sister Lizzie (Antje Traue). Malkin intends to wreck havoc with her minions as the Blood Moon rises.

The first mistake is to kill off cutie pie Kit Harington. He's the star of the movie for the first ten minutes. The movie is left with the growling Bridges and the weaker Ben Barnes. This has no joy or fun. It is a growling, grumpy, dull affair. It's got plenty of whirling CGI but none of it is that compelling. There are more than a few incidences of clunky writing. This is an overblown dour fantasy.