Karl Urban's Ambitious Viking Movie Flop Was A Remake Of An Oscar-nominated Gem

20th Century Studios

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Remakes of movies are not inherently bully aliases bad. It's each astir nan approach. Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot "Psycho" remake was a bold experiment, but mostly viewed arsenic pointless. John Carpenter's "The Thing" is 1 of nan astir beloved scary and sci-fi movies of each time, but it's a remake. In nan lawsuit of 2007's "Pathfinder," which stars Karl Urban ("The Lord of nan Rings") successful nan lead role, location was a batch of ambition successful nan undertaking, it conscionable didn't cookware out.

Directed by Marcus Nispel, who antecedently helmed 2003's deed "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that ushered successful nan slasher remake craze, nan '07 epic was based connected a 1987 movie of nan aforesaid sanction that was really nominated for nan Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Directed by Nils Gaup, it's alternatively good regarded. Nispel's remake? Not truthful much.

The original "Pathfinder" takes spot astir nan twelvemonth 1000 AD and picks up arsenic a barbaric group known arsenic nan "tsjuder" terrorizes parts of Scandinavia. They massacre a family successful a mini colony and only nan teenage son, Aigin (Mikkel Gaup), survives, though he was forced to watch nan execution of his family. He escapes and finds refuge pinch different group, but they fearfulness nan raiders will way him backmost to them. They fly but Aigin refuses and alternatively sets retired unsocial to avenge his family.

"The awesome point pinch nan remakes is that it goes done nan strategy overmuch quicker. 'Pathfinder' was my conception each nan measurement through, but it's a reliable marketplace to compete," Nispel said successful a 2009 question and reply pinch Student Filmmakers Magazine. "You've sewage to travel flying retired of nan gate."

Unfortunately, Nispel's imagination didn't cookware retired critically aliases commercially.

Lionsgate

The "Pathfinder" remake is very loosely based connected nan '87 Oscar-nominated action/adventure picture. It centers connected a Viking boy, nicknamed Ghost (Karl Urban), who is adopted by a caller people aft surviving a shipwreck. This, contempt nan truth that location exists a fable that decease and demolition will travel nan boy. Ghost grows into a fierce warrior and battles against rampaging Vikings who bulldoze tribes arsenic good arsenic defending nan female he loves, Starfire (Moon Bloodgood). He wages a one-man warfare against his enemies.

Karl Urban has said shooting "Pathfinder" was much challenging than "The Lord of nan Rings." That's nary mini thing. Nispel was besides coming disconnected a large commercialized success, truthful location was logic to deliberation this could work. Nispel's version, which was scripted by Laeta Kalogridis, was much "inspired by" nan original. In a amended world, that could person helped to group it apart. That's not really things played out.

Released by 20th Century Fox, "Pathfinder" made conscionable $31 cardinal astatine nan container agency against a $45 cardinal budget. Worse still, it was savaged by critics. It holds a dreadful 8% support standing connected Rotten Tomatoes. 

This isn't rather for illustration Urban's "Dredd," which was a container agency financial nonaccomplishment that was a full tragedy, successful ray of really overmuch group emotion that movie. Rather, this was an eager undertaking that went disconnected people on nan way, pinch nan wreckage ending up scattered connected nan rocks. Fox was near to effort and prime up nan pieces.

You tin drawback "Pathfinder" connected DVD aliases Blu-ray from Amazon.