Review of Pathfinder (2007) by Chads. — 12 Apr 2007

If Ghost (Karl Urban) considers himself a full-fledged "Indian" and purports to have foresaken the Viking people that emasculated and discarded him, why is he able to communicate so effortlessly in a language that no longer has any daily relevance in his life? "Pathfinder" isn't meant to be an ethnographic study like the 1987 Finnish production(that documented the Lapp people); Ghost's ability to converse in his native tongue just makes it easier for the story to move along.

This bit of screenwriting laziness, however, gave me the impression that Ghost keeps himself at a distance from his adopted people. He's so aloof, sometimes downright miserable. If "Pathfinder" made any overtures to complexity, in accordance with Ghost's reluctance to part with an old language, some doubt about his loyalty to the tribe(late in the film) might've been a minor improvement over what actually ensues.

The official story behind the pangs of Ghost's heart is attributed to his undeclared love for Starfire(Moon Bloodgold), but his long memory for Anglo-Saxon grammar and syntax opens up the possibility that he never got over being ostracized(once a Viking, always a Viking).

"Pathfinder" will turn you into an "exit-finder" because it's a much more welcome sight than this hideously photographed film.