This action and adventure movie looks fantastic but suffers from a seriously weak and unoriginal plot. Vikings arrived in North America centuries before Columbus, bringing death and destruction to the Beothuk people who lived in what is now Newfoundland. One of them, Ghost (played by Karl Urban), has Viking ancestry; he’s a survivor of an earlier expedition. I assumed this would be some cheap Syfy production, but "Pathfinder" (2007) actually had a theatrical release and boasts impressive production values. What I noticed first was that Marcus Nispel directed it—he later went on to direct the 2011 version of "Conan the Barbarian." There are some pretty obvious borrowed elements throughout, reminiscent of “Tarzan,” the original “Conan the Barbarian” (from 1982), “Rambo 2,” and “Last of the Mohicans.” This isn't helped by lines that feel forced, such as the dialogue about the two wolves inside each person. These kinds of familiar tropes *can* work, but they need to be handled better. The Vikings are portrayed as cartoonish monsters, while the natives are presented as virtuous. This raises questions about nature versus nurture because Ghost, despite his Viking heritage, isn't corrupted by their ways thanks to being raised by the spiritual Beothuk people. It suggests that immorality is something learned from society. Russell Means, who played Chingachgook in "Last of the Mohicans," appears as the elder Pathfinder—it’s good to see him still active at nearly seventy years old. The film was shot primarily in forests in British Columbia, with occasional mountains that don't quite look like the Northeast, although some do. Despite this minor issue, “Pathfinder” is visually stunning from start to finish, and I'm not just talking about the scenery. Nispel knows how to make a beautiful movie, that’s certain. It’s so impressive it’s almost worth the ticket price. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the story. Everything needed for a good film is present, but somehow the plot isn't as compelling as "Last of the Mohicans" or the original “Conan the Barbarian,” although it’s adequate enough. Some viewers might complain about the extreme violence, but it doesn’t seem to be gratuitous; there are calmer moments that contrast with the action. There’s a sense of depth hinted at, but it needed more development. The action sequences felt overdone and could have been trimmed down. The film has a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes. GRADE: C

Source on TMDB