WhenPathfinderhit the big screen, it was panned heavily by critics and poorly received by audiences. The general consensus was that the film was a meaningless mess of action scenes barely held together by a bare-bones story. That’s a fair complaint, but if viewers happen to be looking for a bunch of big dumb violent action scenes, it’s a selling point.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimis one of the most iconic video games in modern history. Its release was a massive event, it has been ported to every imaginable system, and it hasa violently dedicated fanbasewho have stuck with it through everything. Many have called for anElder Scrollsadaptation, but the closest available substitutes are epic action films.
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What isPathfinderAbout?
German film director Marcus Nispel’s 2007 filmPathfinderdepicts thelife of a Viking boynamed Ghost. Ghost’s birth family are brutal marauders who wash up on the shore of North America with the intention of wiping out the native population and taking over the land. Instead, the Vikings are almost immediately obliterated by the locals and Ghost is left an orphan. In an act of mercy, the indigenous peoples take Ghost in as one of their own and raise him to be a great warrior. Ghost’s only keepsake from his home is his late father’s greatsword.
Ghost trains hard to become a warrior under the Native Americans' strict tutelage, but he hasn’t achieved the rank he desperately seeks. As Ghost approaches adulthood, anew band of Viking raidersappears to finish the job. The second wave is considerably stronger, posing a significant threat to Ghost’s new family, so he decides to take them on alone. He’s swiftly joined by a small mute named Jester and his love interest Starfire. Ghost must battle the people that raised him to defend his new home, leading to a series of extraordinarily violent battles.
IsPathfinderBased on Anything?
Tons of people have probably scrolled past this film on a streaming service and wondered whether it has anything to do withPaizo’s popular tabletop gameof the same name. ThatPathfinderdidn’t hit shelves until 2009, but this film does have source material. The film is extremely loosely based on a 1987 film of the same name. The originalPathfinderwas based on a local legend passed around the indigenous Sami people of the Scandinavian peninsula. It’s the first full-length feature film in the Sami language and its connection to that culture is extremely central to the film. The connection between the two is almost nonexistent. The main connective tissue is the idea of a kid from one culture being raised by another. Both films are about orphans trying to save their new families, but they go about it in very different ways. The original film was a hit in Norway and is still seen as one of their best cinematic efforts. The “remake” doesn’t enjoy the same level of prestige.
How arePathfinderandSkyrimRelated?
The connection between these two works is almost entirely stylistic. There’s no actual magic in the world ofPathfinder, though the depiction of some of the violence airs playfully closeto aMortal Kombattitle. There are no fantasy creatures or mystical beasts, it’s all humans struggling against other humans. Instead, it borrows from the same ancient traditions as the game. A lot of the aesthetic decisions made inPathfindercome from that same “Viking stuff looks cool” mindset that inspired the iconic horned helmet of every alternateSkyrimcharacter. SomeSkyrimfans will find themselves relating to Ghost’s adventure, assuming they never bothered with the main quest line and spent all of their time leveling up their two-handed proficiency.
The combat of the game, especially when it zooms out into third-person finishers, resembles some of the violent exchanges inPathfinder. The presence of Jester and Starfire is reminiscent of the games' various NPC companions. The look of the film immediately evokes some Nord imagery, with a healthyamount of Wood Elf elements. The film goes above and beyond with the blood and gore in a way thatSkyrimisn’t really willing to. Perhaps more interestingly, the film had to cut out around ten minutes of footage to score an R-rating. The full unrated version of the film makesSkyrimlook likeHow to Train Your Dragon. Despite the lack of restraint, the film evokes many of the same cultural reference points.
Pathfinderis a bit of a mess, and the critics weren’t necessarily wrong when they condemned it. But, any viewer looking for a simplecelebration of Viking violencewill have a good 90 minutes withPathfinder. There’s no way of knowing whether a properSkyrimmovie will ever hit the big screen, but if fans just want to see a bit of no-frills swordplay with some of the same artistic inspirations, that’ll hit the spot.
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