A true hybrid of its kind, Pathfinder tries desperately to sell its Native American vs. Viking premise to the audience, but despite a rollicking first half, the film fails miserably by not paying off on its own inspired setup. It should be easy, right? Vikings come in and pillage a village, only to feel the wrath of the mystic warriors as they defend their land against an insurmountable force with the help of a Viking boy-turned-Indian brave. Unfortunately, history isn't quite on the natives' side on this one -- and neither is this script. But is historical reality really what people want to see when they plop down their dough for a good bloody adventure? Yes, the movie's premise is all about the prophesied one who leads the tribe to victory, but when halfway through, the filmmakers decide to needlessly slaughter a huge batch of natives and have it be the hero's fault -- well, let's just say that it's a right-turn curve that the film never recovers from. And while Pathfinder is brilliant to look at, with its stark shadows contrasting the real woodland locations and rich production design, it becomes a complete letdown halfway in and only gets more tedious by the time the poorly executed battle atop a mountain range hits.
Opting for CG spectacle instead of gut-punching action, director Marcus Nispel and writer Laeta Kalogridis miss the chance entirely to pull off an Apocalypto -- i.e. take a solid action formula and transpose it to a different time and place, but still deliver a solidly satisfying thrill ride. Instead, this film rides a lot on its brutality, both in gore and in its treatment of the characters. The dialogue is equally as brutal, at times screaming to be cut completely, which would have actually made the film ten times better. Still, as seen through Daniel Pearl's expert camera lens, Pathfinder is thoroughly haunting in its dark, foggy beauty. Costume design is equally as impressive, with the Vikings looking more like bulky steel monsters than anything resembling men. Given the production's long road to release and eventual dumping into theaters, it's evident that far too much time was put into the look and not the entertainment value, which is too bad because the world really does need a killer Vikings vs. Indians movie!