DVD Reviews

Pathfinder

• Rating:
• Director: Marcus Nispel
• Starring: Karl Urban
• Details: US / 99mins (16).

The opening moments of Pathfinder promised something special - a dark and moody fantasy along the lines of Conan The Barbarian. Unfortunately for everyone concerned, it's more of a dark and moody fantasy along the lines of Conan The Destroyer and the only thing to be thankful for is that Grace Jones isn't in it. When a Viking boy is abandoned by his clan in North America, he is raised by a native family, and although he's accepted among the tribe, Ghost (Urban) is told he will never be a Brave. He gets his chance to prove himself, however, when a new Viking expedition lands and wipes out his village and Ghost, hell bent on revenge, takes to the forest and lies in wait for a war with his one-time countrymen. Pathfinder never had a chance: a one-note storyline, coupled with poor acting, proved to be its downfall. The performances aren't great, but you can feel sorry for Urban who is forced to dredge some emotion from the almost monosyllabic dialogue penned by Alexander scribe Laeta Kalogridis, leaving him with nothing to do but squint menacingly in the shadows. The costume department dropped the ball too, when it came to the Vikings, making them look like the bad guys from Willow, or even worse, Krull. The director, Marcus Nispel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is better than the script he was dealt and he might be one for the future - but he needs to pull better performances out of his players if he's to succeed. DOP Daniel Pearl is better than everyone, though, and makes the film look better than it actually is; even if he does rely too much on the smoke machine.

Review by Gavin Burke