2.5 stars (out of 5)
Obviously intended to be the first in another ‘Young Adult’-targeted franchise like the Harry Potters, the Hunger Gameses or even the Divergents, this dopey fantasy was directed by Russian Sergei Bodrov (of Mongol) some years ago, left on the shelf and eventually dragged out to embarrass its stars, especially Julianne Moore just after she won the Oscar (but, then again, she needn’t have been too ashamed, as that other Academy-Award-winner, Eddie Redmayne, is worse in Jupiter Ascending).
Drawn from The Spook’s Apprentice, the first installment of Joseph Delaney’s book series The Wardstone Chronicles, this kicks off with an FX-drenched sequence where drunken old wizard (or ‘spook’) Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) fights and imprisons evil witch Mother Malkin (Moore), only to have her break free ten years later in a severely pissed-off mood. Malkin also knocks off Gregory’s hapless apprentice, and this drives him out to recruit another, a seventh son of a seventh son, which he finds in the dreary form of farmers’ son Tom (Ben Barnes of the equally drab Narnia films). Tom has been given a magical stone by his Mum (Olivia Williams), which is a good thing as he’s useless as an apprentice and almost gets himself and Gregory killed several times, as Bridges overacts away seemingly with a mouthful of porridge. But Malkin also wants the stone so that she can get more powerful (or something) when the ‘Blood Moon’ comes, although she conveniently stays off-camera for long periods so that Tom and Gregory can do lots of tedious training and exchange often cringe-worthy comic banter.
Overloaded with 3D dragons, characters transforming into bears and panthers, supernatural explosions and other humdrum but expensive CGI stuff, director Bodrov’s pic has an odd but bland supporting cast (including Jason Scott Lee, Djimon Hounsou and Alicia Vikander as another witch who gets Tom going in more ways than one) and dull detail that might once have seemed ripped-off from Lord Of The Rings but now looks ripped-off from Game Of Thrones. And will there be a cheesy sequel drawn from Delaney’s second book The Spook’s Curse? And can Jeff and Ben be tempted back to ham it up once again?
Well, let’s hope not, Young Adults.
I Wake Up Screening 