There's nothing as sad as wasted potential. "Pathfinder" certainly had that and more with a typical fish-out-of-water story about a Viking boy adopted by a Native American tribe when his people are killed. Ghost (played by Karl Urban from "Lord of the Rings" who bares more than a passing resemblance to a young David Gilmour from Pink Floyd) as he's called because of his pale skin takes to his new "family". When Vikings return (lead by the talented but poorly used Clancy Brown) on another quest to the New World with the intent to conquer, rape and pillage, Ghost ends up fighting his own people to protect his adopted homeland. Ghost is ably assisted (which brings up the question if he was adopted but still treated like an outsider why did he feel the urge to fight the invading warriors and where he learned to fight so well?) by Starfire a young woman from the tribe (Moon Bloodgood). Why have the Vikings returned? What, exactly, are they there to do? All of these questions and more are as incomprehensible as the language the Vikings speak and are used as little more than a means to move to the fighting sequences. ***

Although the film has a terrific cast, they really don't have much to do with a plot that meanders as if it was written by someone who spent all day smoking pot. Lead Karl Urban has demonstrated his on screen charisma before in both good ("The Twin Towers", "The Borne Conspiracy") and so-bad-they're good films ("Riddick") but even his brooding presence can't pull this film from the precipice. The plot holes are large enough for a Viking ship to sail through. ***

Although the plot description sounds very straight forward the film itself is murkier than a misty forest where Ghost confronts his past to protect his present and future. Based on a popular 1987 Norwegian film (which also inspired the Darkhorse comic), "Pathfinder" is directed with too much flare, too little substance and too little storytelling skill by Marcus Nispel who also butchered the remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". "Pathfinder" could have been a great action film balancing a number of complex themes AND introducing strong action sequences that were beautifully shot. Instead, the film is little more than a travelogue until the sequences where Ghost fights where upon it turns into a beautifully rendered videogame without substance. ---

Image & Sound:

For all of its sound and fury, "Pathfinder" is rather empty and I'd like to see it at least LOOKS good but I received a review copy (that was watermarked) and had digital artifacts all over the place. I'm sure that the final version of the film will look much better but can't comment on that because this edition isn't representative of what you would get in a store. Audio sounds fine with a nice 5.1 mix. ---

Director Nispel provides an excellent, comprehensive commentary track covering everything from the research that went into the film (and why some of the historical inaccuracies were kept in the film. Let's just say it has to do with the "look" of the film and how threatening the Vikings would look). It's a pity that so much creativity went into the visual representation of the film and so little into a coherent, intelligent script. We also have deleted scenes with commentary and most of the deleted scenes were cut because they would have undermined the believability of the story (what little there is). ***

Next up we have seven featurettes on the production of the film. The aptly and imaginatively named "The Beginning" focuses on the original film and how it "inspired" this one. "The Design" and "The Build" gives us background on the overall look of the film and the sets/props developed for the film. "The Shoot" and "The Stunts" are pretty self explanatory. "The Stunts" will be of interest to those who watch the film as most of them were created the old fashioned way-with stunt people actually doing them vs. having them digitally rendered. "We Shoot Now!" makes fun of Nisepl's reputation as a micromanager on the set. "Clancy Brown: Cult Hero" gives kudos to one of the best underrated character actors around. Brown has played everything from a role in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" to Mr. Krabs on "Spongebob". This short recognizes his skills as an actor. A pity that Hollywood never developed him as a lead in films (although he's a terrific character actor and has been a highlight of many good & bad films including this one). Things are rounded out by the trailer and a promo that Nisepl shot to promote the film to be shown to film exhibitors. Both are more impressive than the finished product and shorter. ---

Final Words: