PATHFINDER: UNRATED
(not rated)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
STARRING
Karl Urban as GHOST
Moon Bloodgood as STARFIRE
Russell Means as PATHFINDER
Clancy Btown as GUNNAR
Created by: Marcus Nispel
Studio: 20th Century Fox
BY KEVIN CARR
Comic books are having a golden age in cinema, and some are bound to get lost in the shuffle. “Pathfinder” is one of those titles. It’s not a superhero flick, but instead comes from a high-art graphic novel from Dark Horse. The film tells the story of a child left in the New World by Viking marauders, who grows up with the Native Americans. When the Vikings return and wipe out his village, he goes on a revenge rampage.
What killed this film in the theater was the lack of plot. Basically, the film is a revenge story with the iron age meeting the stone age. However, having read the original graphic novel, I was impressed with its faithful retelling of the story. More of a piece of art with the screen as the canvas, “Pathfinder” is a pure adaptation, albeit one that the public wasn’t ready for.
The DVD comes with a nice selection of special features, including a director’s commentary and about a half-dozen deleted scenes, which can also be played with the commentary track. There’s also a selection of featurettes that spotlight the making of the film from the design to the stunts to the cult hero status of Clancy Brown (who plays the main bad-guy Viking in the film). However, the most interesting feature is a short conceptual trailer that was shot in one day in order to pitch the film. While the movie didn’t do great in the theaters, I can see why executives were taken with the concept because the pitch trailer looks great.