Pathfinder: Unrated

The Film

After seeing the trailer for Pathfinder I really wanted it to be good but felt in my gut there was little chance of this happening. I enjoy period piece war films and a Viking entry would hit the right spot. Unfortunately Pathfinder falls into the usual potholes and ends up falling far from its potential.

Pathfinder has a very simple premise and never spends time going much deeper into the story, a fact that no doubt hurt the film. Many years before Columbus arrived on the Americas, the Vikings came. The trip didn’t turn out well as there were heavy casualties and a Norse boy was left behind. He is adopted by Native Americans, trained in the ways of the land, though never completely part of their world. When the Vikings return, Ghost (Karl Urband) is the only defense to stop the them from annihilating the Native Americans.

So what went wrong with Pathfinder? First, and foremost, story is always given as an afterthought. Coupled with the fact that the film moves at a brisk pace, you either tend to get lost or feel that there is no substance at all. This could be forgivable if the action was top notch. Director Marcus Nispel couldn’t seem to decide on which style to shoot the action scenes. Some are uber-stylized slo-mo shots while others employ hand-held shaky cam techniques. Te result is a disjointed film with little character or plot development and inconsistent, disappointing action.

The DVD

The video is presented in an unspecific 16×9 anamorrphic widescreen. The screener copy provided looks very bad with loads of digital artifacts and loss of detail. For a film that exists mostly in the shadows and darkness, you lose a lot when the detail is not on point.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 Surround Sound and French/Spanish 2.0 with English/Spanish subtitles. It is a good action mix with plenty of surround moments, clear dialogue, and balanced elements.

The Extras

Commentary is offered by Marcus Nispel who provides a lot of good insight despite the films poor reception.

Seven short featurettes are available. “The Beginning” is a 5-minute look at the origins of the remake.

“The Design” is a 6-minute look at production design while “The Build” is 5-minutes on set and prop construction. “The Shoot” is a 6-minute piece on the production. “The Stunts” runs 5-minutes and is self-explanatory.

“We Shoot Now!” is a 2-minute piece acting as a tiny rib to director Marcus Nispel’s controlling nature.

Lastly, “Clancy Brown: Cult Hero” is a 3-minute piece on the actor and his work,

Seven Deleted Scenes are offered that run about 10 minutes and offer nothing worthwhile.

Also offered are a Promo Trailer, the Theatrical Trailer, and Previews.

Final Thoughts

Pathfinder: Unrated is a far cry from the film it could have been. It’s not a complete waste, but it fails on too many levels for me to recommend it. –Jeff Ritchie