Cast:Karl Urban, Moon Bloodgood, Russel Means, Clancy Brown Dir:Marcus Nispel Rating: 2/5Based on a graphic novel set in pre-Columbus America Pathfinder depicts the battle between the natives and the invading Vikings.The Native Americans live in peace and harmony in contrast with the Vikings who are a violently savage race who come to the new world and are attempting to cleanse the land before settling there.The Natives have a saviour in the form of Ghost (Karl Urban), a white Norse boy who survived a savage Viking attack fifteen years ago.The natives took the boy in and raised him as one of their own. When the village is attacked by the Vikings, which leaves Ghost's adoptive parents dead, Ghost goes on a killing rampage to avenge the dead and protect those that fled.Director Marcus Nispel has produced an all grunting and groaning, testosterone fuelled mindless action picture who's only real interest is to show characters meet as grissly a demise as possible.
Pathfinder could have been an epic battle epic as well as depicting a clash of cultures and a journey of self discovery for Ghost. And the film does set this ideas up well at the beginning of the film.
But unfortunately it ends up being based purely on the fight scene between Ghost and the Vikings and everything else get side stepped including Ghost's search for his identity despite this being a major factor so early in the film.
Yet despite there being lots of violence there is very little action as the promising opening turns into a slow, drawn out affair which culminates to a very dull and somewhat predicatable ending.
Pathfinder has obvious influences from 300 and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto but unfortunately the character of Ghost isn't developed enough to make the audience believe that he is fighting for his dead family. In 300 King Leonidas is fighting for the country that he loves and similarly in Apocalypto Jaguar Paw fights for his family.
Due to the lack of exploration of Ghost's search for his identity, or how the Viking attack as a child effected him his fight doesn't appear anywhere near as belivable or heartfelt as in 300 and Apocalypto.
While it is obvious Pathfinder is trying to achieve as a epic battle movie intertwined with a journey of self discovery it falls way short. It's also heavily dependent on movies that have gone before it failing to develop an identity of its own and avid film fans will easily spot that this is Lord of the Rings meets Last of the Mohicans.
Helen Earnshaw