Pathfinder Movie Review
Pathfinder-Finally An SUV Aimed At Native Americans
Pathfinder is not a glorified sales pitch for a planet killing SUV. Movies that brazen of a commercial are not here- yet. No. America must be dimmed down just a little bit more before we can have the pleasure of watching “Wal-Mart the Action Film.” But don’t worry 8 more years like the previous 8 years and it’s a done deal.
Now with all that venom one might think I am going to bash Pathfinder. But I am not. The film is really quite a surprise, at least in some aspects. Now, the script is really paper thin and not too original either- young boy, in this case a Viking, is shunned by his people, and goes to live with outsiders, in this case Native Americans. The Vikings return to slaughter everyone and it’s the Americanized White Boy that must save the day. Okay, it’s a tad racist at its core but on the flip side the invaders, who are very, very nasty, are ALL misguided White Guys, so, take from it what you will.
As already stated the story is really straightforward, yet much of the execution is fun stuff. Ghost (Karl Urban) is a sort of thinking man’s Rambo and sets up many nice death traps for the numerically superior Vikings, led by Clancy Brown, who must have felt as though he was reprising his Highlander role from long, long ago. In fact, had Pathfinder been a Highlander film it would have been the best one since the original, easily. Regardless, Pathfinder has solid acting to go with the fast paced action, but the real star of the show is the cinematography. The cinematography by Daniel Pearl is some of the best in recent memory. If you are a movie fan you should see this movie in high-def, it is a must, as much of the film is just simply beautiful. In fact, I would go so far as to say that nearly every shot of the film sparkles.
Unfortunately, Pathfinder, didn’t, well forgive me, find an audience and that is too bad. While the film really doesn’t have much to say and is a little offensive at times, it is nonetheless a fun action film that looks incredible. Director Marcus Nispel deserves some credit for a job well done. Ultimately, the script is kind of a joke, but somehow Pathfinder, thanks mostly to its very fine cinematography, is still worth a look. Not a great film, just great looking. Good for a rainy day or the next writers strike…
Story C- (To be certain you have seen it all before, but the action scenes are somewhat clever.)
Acting B- (Karl Urban does manage to act a little, in between being rubbed down with oil and Moon Bloodgood does a good job as well.)
Visuals A (Pathfinder is great for viewing in HD.)
Originality/Innovation C
Enjoyability Grade B+ (Oh yes it is mindless, but it has fun moments and is pretty to look at. In this regard it is probably more of a movie for the boys.)
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade C+ (Had Pathfinder bothered with a script it could have really been something special, what can you do?)
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