I’ve been wanting to see this movie ever since it came out. Here’s the set-up: 600 years before Columbus, a young Viking boy, the sole survivor of an ill-fated expedition to North America, is taken in and raised by the local Indian tribe. Years later, when more Vikings show up with pillage and slaughter in mind, the boy, now grown, rallies his adopted people in a guerrilla war against the invaders. Much hacking and slashing ensues. Really sounds like my kind of movie, doesn’t it? But . . . I didn’t like it.
To start with, the photography is murky and the editing often seems designed to make the action as difficult to follow as possible. The plot that I describe in the previous paragraph? That’s it. No real twists at all. Because of the helmets the Viking invaders wear, we hardly ever see their faces, so we don’t really get to know any of them. That doesn’t make for very good villains.
On the plus side, there’s the occasional striking image or bit of business, and the conflict between the hero and the leader of the Vikings finally comes alive late in the movie. PATHFINDER isn’t terrible, it just isn’t very good, and I kept feeling like it could have been. Not recommended unless you’re really a fan of this sort of film.
To start with, the photography is murky and the editing often seems designed to make the action as difficult to follow as possible. The plot that I describe in the previous paragraph? That’s it. No real twists at all. Because of the helmets the Viking invaders wear, we hardly ever see their faces, so we don’t really get to know any of them. That doesn’t make for very good villains.
On the plus side, there’s the occasional striking image or bit of business, and the conflict between the hero and the leader of the Vikings finally comes alive late in the movie. PATHFINDER isn’t terrible, it just isn’t very good, and I kept feeling like it could have been. Not recommended unless you’re really a fan of this sort of film.
4 comments:
I had hopes for this but alas I've heard too many folks that haven't enjoyed it and it seems like it realy didn't come off well.
I couldn't agree more with your assessment, James. I kept waiting for someone to pay the light bill but it never happened.
Right I could not watch the whole thing is dreagged and dragged. I walked out before the ending. Plus the east coast of the US looked like NW USA.
Pity. A good supporting cast, too...I'm a big fan of both of Moon Bloodgood's tv series, DAY BREAK and JOURNEYMAN, both time-travel fantasies, both cancelled before their time, both accessible either on DVD or the web.
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