SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
Apart from its action-adventure theme, ‘Seventh Son’ is also about courage, love, and responsibility. It is a witch-hunter a.k.a spook’s tale who fails at saving each one of his apprentices’ lives in the past. After the murder of his last apprentice, spook Gregory (Jeff Bridges) goes on to find his new student. His search brings him to Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes) who is a seventh son. What Gregory doesn’t know yet is the hidden background of Thomas who is equally unaware of it. He is not like any of Master Gregory’s former students, he is a special one.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Seventh Son Plot Summary and Synopsis
In 1572 the witch Mother Malkin is imprisoned underground by Gregory, the last of a knightly order known as the Falcons, who have long defended mankind against supernatural threats.
Several decades later, Gregory now works as a “Spook” – a roving witch hunter.
The rise of the centennial blood moon allows Malkin to regain much of her power and escape. She kills Gregory’s apprentice, William Bradley, and flees to her dilapidated mountain fortress. She restores the fortress and her sister, Bony Lizzie.
Gregory seeks out Tom Ward – the seventh son of a seventh son – as his new apprentice. Tom’s mother gives him her necklace as a talisman, traveling to Gregory’s home. Tom sees a girl about to be burned by a mob as a witch. Recognizing her from his clairvoyant visions, Tom frees her.
The girl, Alice, warns him not to tell Gregory about her. Alice is revealed to be Lizzie’s daughter, spying on Gregory for her mother. Malkin begins gathering an army of minions.
Tom meets Gregory’s assistant, Tusk. With only a week before the blood moon is full, reviving Malkin’s full power, Tom must rush through his training while the trio head to Malkin’s fortress.
En route, Gregory is summoned to a walled city by an inquisitor whose forces have subdued one of Malkin’s followers, a werebear named Urag. Tom hesitates when instructed to burn the werebear alive, causing Gregory to dismiss him while burning Urag himself.
When Tom meets Alice again, the two share their feelings for each other and they fall in love. They briefly consider running off, but Tom has a vision of Malkin killing Gregory and unleashing destruction upon the world. Tom returns to Gregory, who reveals that he loved Malkin, and that is why he imprisoned her rather than killing her. Gregory feels responsible for every person since killed by Malkin, and warns Tom that Alice must also be killed.
The trio are attacked on the road by an enormous boggart, and Tom narrowly manages to kill it and survive being swept down a waterfall.
Tom is then confronted by Bony Lizzie, who attacks but is repelled by his Mam’s necklace. Gregory recognizes the pendant as the Umbran Stone, which increases the power of witches. It originally belonged to Malkin, but one of her witch followers, Mam, stole it, weakening Malkin enough for Gregory to trap her.
Malkin instructs Alice to steal the stone, promising to spare Tom’s life. Malkin and her minions then destroy the walled city to avenge the death of Urag. Tom’s family happens to be in the city, and his mother manages to kill Strix the warlock and confront Malkin with her own powers. Malkin kills her, mocking her for giving away the stone that would have saved her life.
Alice finds Tom and pleads with him to leave with her, Gregory tries to kill her, but Tom intervenes. He lets Alice flee, but Gregory points out she has taken the necklace, and the trio pursue her. When Malkin’s servant Radu attacks them, Radu captures Gregory and drives Tusk and Tom over a cliff, believing them dead.
Tom has a vision of his Mam telling him that as both the seventh son of a seventh son, and the son of a witch, he has a unique power to defeat Malkin.
The witches gather as Malkin attempts to seduce Gregory. Alice is horrified when told that Tom is dead, and grabs the stone from Malkin, breaking Malkin’s hold on Gregory. As Malkin transforms into a dragon, Lizzie also transforms, protecting her daughter. Tom retrieves the stone and, fighting together, Gregory, Tom and Alice kill several of Malkin’s minions.
Malkin kills Lizzie, but is seriously wounded. Gregory confronts Malkin in her room. She appears close to death, recalling her and Gregory’s relationship, but then seizes him with her claws. Tom arrives and hurls a blade at Malkin, freeing Gregory. Tom then kills Malkin, burning her body.
Seventh Son Ending
Gregory brands Tom’s hand, declaring him a Falcon knight. Alice appears, but accepts that Tom’s new vocation means they cannot be together at present and promises that they’ll meet again.
Gregory leaves for parts unknown, leaving Tom and Tusk to continue his work.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).