Movie Title: Pathfinder
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/10)
Year: 2007
Pathfinder official site: http://www.pathfinderthemovie.com/
Just when you felt like watching some sword fighting movies after so many battle of the mind and romantic comedy movies… Pathfinder seems to be the best choice. Then again, I learn it the hard way that things that you see might not be what it seems.
Looking and looking and looking at the trailer… the only thing that convince me to watch this movie was the Viking’s outfit and somewhat brutal scenes the trailer has made up. Lot’s of hesitation in the process of getting myself to watch it as I know no one in the movie. Er… okay, maybe I did see them act before.. but none was people I could name.
The Pathfinder movie is one movie I would describe as breath-taking scenery but quickly blended with bad acting and scripts. As much as they plan to make this a big epic movie and all… it just fails terribly. I blame it all on the casting person as they really pick the wrong person to do the jobs.
The movie started of with when a Native American woman (Michelle Thrush) stumble upon a Viking boy living in a wrecked Viking ship while she was chasing after a white horse. She then brought the little boy back to the village and decides to keep him. They held a village meeting and everyone thinks the keeping the little boy in the tribe would bring bad luck as he is not one of them.
Having strong believe in fate, the woman and her husband insisted to raise the little boy as one of their own. The boy was soon nicknamed Ghost (Karl Urban) by the tribe. The movie then quickly fast forward to 15 years later when Ghost is now a grown up man.
The village got so crowded when Pathfinder (Russell Means), his daughter StarFire (Moon Bloodgood) and other villagers drop by this village before proceeding back to their own village. Ghost quickly fel in love with Starfire.
One day, Ghost decides to go hunting in the forest. While he was busy hunting, his village was attacked by those who left him behind, the Vikings. His entire village was completely whipped out. When he return to the village, all he ever sees is dead bodies everywhere while his father was being killed by the group of Vikings. Thinking he was just a weird Native American guy, they quickly challenge him to a sword fight which Ghost ended up hurting the general.
The whole group of Viking is then determined to hunt him down. In the process of running away, Ghost was shot. He was then saved by the Pathfinder and his villagers. Not wanting them to get hurt, Ghost quickly warn them and ask them to leave the village and hide at a safe place while he go and seek revenge on the Vikings for killing his family.
The fighting scenes soon began. Lots of blood splashing here and there. And like most of the typical movies, the girl would just go back and find the guy only to cause more trouble for the guy… then got caught and the guy would try whatever he may to safe the girl. Now this is what exactly happened. However I am pretty much amazed with the fact that the Pathfinder came to the rescue only to get himself caught together with her daughter. And predictably… Ghost is entrusted by the Pathfinder to take over his position as the chief of the village after his death.
The Vikings then force Ghost to lead them to the villagers. Ghost initially refused but quickly agree when the Pathfinder’s body was tore into half and the Vikings threaten to chop StarFire’s hands. StarFire felt betrayed when Ghost lead the Vikings to the abandoned village, thinking he is also going to lead them to the other villagers.
Not knowing they they were being brought far away from the villagers, the Vikings followed Ghost to the mountains which Ghost manage to trick them and killed everyone of them.
Now… seriously, I don’t know how to elaborate the ending as I think it was totally pathetic and unreal. I really very much want to like the movie but I just couldn’t. The scripts were plain lame. The worst is the the actors didn’t put in extra effort to make the script less lame… which of course make everything lamer than lame. It is as if they were just plain reading the lines out.
Karl was such a big disappointment. I just think he didn’t do his very best in the movie. He doesn’t have the charisma. He can’t portray they anger in him. How much his past haunt him down. And he surely can’t portray how difficult it is to grow in a totally strange environment.
Sigh… if it wasn’t for the beautiful scenes… I probably would have given it a one star movie. Oh god! I need to see something better. Yes… desperately need to.