Movie Report: Pathfinder

Movie Report: Pathfinder

Pathfinder, a movie directed by Marcus Nispel, mainly depicts a story of a Viking boy, nicknamed Ghost, who survived a battle between his people and a rival tribe. The movie begins with a woman discovering the young boy, who, scared for his life, hides inside a ship while holding on to his father’s sword. Although the woman belongs to a tribe different from Ghosts’, she opts to adopt him. However, her tribe rejects Ghosts, hence making him contend with living as an outsider in a land he calls his home (Nispel, 2007). The inclination by Ghost and the members of his newly-acquired tribe to exude differences in their social relations denoted their awareness of culture. Mainly, the tribe could not fully accept Ghost as their due to their perceptions regarding his tribe, which mostly comprised of killers. In turn, Ghost’s awareness of his roots let him contend, becoming labeled an outsider.

The quest by Ghost to understand his origin leads him to venture to find his path. His possession of his father’s sword leads him to deduce that it is a weapon of war. Hence, he begins to learn how to use it (Nispel, 2007). Mainly, Ghost recognizes that although he was born to the beasts, as the people called his tribe, he could prove himself by showing his brevity in war. This action signaled Ghost’s desire to adapt to the ways of the members of his newly-acquired culture. The primarily engaged young men in training to help them obtain the required knowledge, skills, and willpower to become significant contributors to the affairs of the community. This situation arose because it profoundly depended on them to safeguard the village from invasion. In this regard, Ghost saw the need to join his fellow men in training to enhance his relevance in the community by partaking in efforts to safeguard it as well. In one incident, he even actively participates in staying guard while a young woman gathered herbs. This situation signaled his adaptation to the culture of the tribe, which necessitated men to be their community’s protectors.

As the movie progresses, an unfortunate incident occurs in which a present-day Viking party hits the village and kill many of its members, including Ghost’s adoptive mother.  At this juncture, the Vikings leader commanded his warriors also to kill Ghost (Nispe, 2007). This incident profoundly tests the knowledge, skills, and resilience of Ghosts on combat. Here, Ghost utilizes the lessons he learned in training, which sees him attack and defeat the warrior. He then leaves the village with the Vikings in his pursuit.  Still, Ghost manages to use his mastery in combat to take down the warriors chasing him before they finally strike him down with an arrow. These actions help portray him as a fully-fledged warrior, which mostly comprised the role of men in the tribe. It, thus, signaled his adaptation to their way of life.re

Ghost’s adaptation to the culture of the tribe, which relied on men to safeguard the people further, reveals when he instructs the people to hide and embarks on a mission to defeat the Vikings. He needed to succeed in the endeavor to ensure the future prosperity of the tribe. However, the Vikings capture Ghost together with his loved ones before he could attack them. Here, they use blackmail to threaten him to give them clues to the location of the next villages. In the end, Ghost manages to trick his captors, killing most of them, including their leader. The victory earns him the respect of his tribe, who now embrace and accept him as their own. This situation sees him rise to become one among their coast guards whose central role was to stay vigilant to prevent an invasion of the Vikings.

The Vikings and the members of the tribe also adopted a unique way of life. Mainly, the Vikings nurtured the belief of exuding dominance over all other cultures. This situation saw them engage the members of the native tribes in continual fights in their endeavor to acquire their lands. In contrast, the native tribes mostly relished in coexisting peacefully with others. This situation saw them extend generosity to the Vikings in spite of the outrageous things that they endured at the hands of these people. One can attest their attitude to their spiritually held beliefs, which saw them strive to worship a mystical Supreme being and abide by his teachings.

Reflection

I found the movie to be culturally informative and inspiring, given the lengths the main actor, Ghost would go to save a community to which he was not born. Specifically, I found the part where Ghost asks the villagers to evacuate as he sacrificed himself for the good of all quite inspiring. His actions inspired several other individuals also to opt to risk their lives to liberate their community from the Vikings’ control. This act of selflessness humbled me. Mainly, it led me to learn that doing what is right has nothing to do with blood ties, ethnicity, or race. It also taught me to show kindness and gratitude. Although Ghost was a Viking at heart, he fought for the tribe in appreciation for their decision to raise him. However, the endeavor would not have been possible had his adoptive mother not decided to raise him. This chain of events went to show how a kind act begets more acts of kindness hence leading to the creation of a joyous world. I, therefore, intend to conform my life to these teachings by aiming to adopt a more kinder, positive, and grateful attitude towards life.