Reviews (20)

Excellent for family viewing
From first seeing this film in 1991 (I was 9), it became an instant classic for me and my childhood.
It became my "sick day" movie. Whenever my sister or I took a sick day from school, we would have to watch Shipwrecked. It probably drove my mother nuts.

The kids will enjoy it, and adults won't get bored, either. I watched it recently for the first time in years, and I still found it pretty interesting.
It's not a blockbuster, it's not supposed to be. But it's a classy family film nonetheless, which might be hard to find in Disney these days.

Some pluses: the scenery is excellent (shot in three international locations), the music is superb, and the plot will keep you interested.
I strongly recommend it.

Could have been a classic
I understand this film was based on a book called Hakon Hakonsen (and that was the movie's original title). I never read the book, so I cannot comment on how good it is or if the film measures up.
This film both delights and disappoints. The scenery is beautiful, the music is good, the production values appear to be high, and Stian Smestad is a stunning Nordic beauty. It is a shame he did not appear in more movies.
Shipwrecked could have been a classic family film but it is flawed by too much cheesiness in the plot. Apparently, the producers knew they were making a "kid's movie" and felt that excused them from making a truly high quality film that all ages could enjoy, and that is a shame. There is a lot of potential here, just unrealized.

Good Movie
I saw this movie when I was about four. Ever since i have been looking for this movies and could never find it. It is a good, adventurous movie that will satisfy any young boys thirst for adventure. I recomend this movie to anyone!

A good kid's adventure story
When his sailor-father is injured and unable to go to sea again, 14-year old Haakon takes his place. Hunky sailor Jens goes with him to act as protector, mentor, and big brother (and incidentally provides enough beefcake to keep the adults watching). After some Treasure Island-style adventuring, they encounter scrappy stowaway Mary, whose bond with Haakon remains strictly in the platonic sisterly affection camp -- no prepubescent romances here! The three of them are shipwrecked on a South Seas island (with a gorilla, for some reason). They encounter a native tribe (friendly, of course), buried treasure, and pirates before they return to Norway, one big happy family.

The action is good, the buddy-bonding touching, and it is refreshing these days to see a child in the movies who gets to be a child, rather than a leering 30-year old in a prepubescent body.

An Uneven Film--MAGNIFICENT MUSIC!
"Shipwrecked" is a rather difficult film to review, as evinced by the many differing opinions on this somewhat obscure film. Like practically any other reviewer, I do have my biases. I'd like to start off, however, by saying that if you have any predilection for Robert Louis Stevenson this film is required viewing!
Shipwrecked is a kind of Nordic "Treasure Island" as envisioned by author O.V. Falck-Ytter. Although I have been unable to locate the book upon which the film is based, I can say the story certainly has enough twists to keep the viewer entertained.
The acting, although somewhat excessively sentimental, effectively communicates the romance and adventure that this sort of story demands (Gabriel Byrnes is particularly successful as the sadistic captain).
Despite the success of the story and cinematography, however, the real triumph is the entrancing and effervescent orchestral score, composed by the multi-talented Patrick Doyle. "Shipwrecked" is a masterpiece of stylistic invention. Its melodies and orchestrations are perfectly suited to the swashbuckling storyline. From the opening notes the audience can be in no doubt as to the subject of this film. Aside from the wonderful opening motive and subsequent theme the score also boasts one of the most memorable scherzos in recent cinema, highlighting the drama of a sinking scene that puts James Cameron and James Horner to shame.
Watch it, if only for the music. Kudos to Patrick Doyle for an utterly mesmerizing musical feat! ... Read more

Description

Inspired by a mystical legend from Lapland, Pathfinder is an extraordinary story of a boy's deliverance into manhood filled with love, action and suspense and an uplifting sense of adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

a beautiful and moving film
This film, based on an ancient Sami legend, is a coming-of-age story about a boy who witnesses his family's murder by a brutal gang of thieves. How he deals with these murderers, while protecting the rest of his tribe, makes up the principal plot. The movie is simple--simple plot, simple dialogue, simple (but stunning) visuals, and this simplicity lends a great deal of strength to this work. Everything unnecessary has been cut away, much like the lives of the Sami people, a tribal group closely tied to an unforgiving landscape and climate (Lappland).

Although most of the film is action, there is a wonderful relationship that develops between the boy and the tribe's shaman, or "pathfinder." They have only a couple of conversations before fate separates them, but in those brief exchanges the pathfinder imparts all the knowledge the boy needs to take up the mantle of pathfinder himself.

This film is beautifully crafted, well-paced, and provides a wonderful portrait of a culture which has much to teach.

Excellent good vs.evil coming of age Sami legend
This Sami legend is brilliantly set in cinematography that uses snow as well as Lawrence of Arabia used sand. It is a story of myth, and coming of age, of the presence of spirit in everyday choices, and the ongoing generations of existence. Highly recommended as art, also excellent for a discussion of ethics. The violence is not gratuitous. Good triumphs with some sorrow over evil. Everyone who participated in the film is Sami, which is also unique, and evokes an added sense of the timelessness of their existence.

Information note: Lapp is a derogatory word no longer acceptable; the people call themselves the Sami. Sami is the best word for use in English as well. Thank you.

Great!
I really love this movie, I've seen it over and over again and still I'm not tired of it. The movie combines drama, action, beautiful sceneries of my home country and very good actors. Being a Sámi myself, this movie means extra to me, and I've always recommended it to friends and others since I think it provides a good, just insight in our otherwise forgotten history. I also appreciated that the movie language is north-Sámi, the beautiful language of my people

Great movie that needs a DVD release
This is a wonderful and unique movie. The environment is beautifully filmed and plays a major role in its own right. The plot is honest and inspiring, a classic. The movie really needs a widescreen DVD release though, with a high-quality transfer. VHS pan-and-scan does not do it justice. It is amazing that brain-dead Hollywood movies come out on DVD before fine films like this one.

OUTSTANDING
Intelligent, dynamic, beautifully shot, and even spiritual, this film is in a class by itself. A story of marauding invaders and the attempts of the protagonist to resist them, it's also about being human and spiritual realization. I can't reccommend this movie enough. The portrayal of northern pre-Christian Europeans and their mystical and symbiotic relationship with nature creates a rich fabric on which to paint a story of survival. ... Read more

Description

Set in Alaska at the turn of the century, "North Star" tells of a half-Indian, half-Caucasian trapper and hunter (Christopher Lambert) who owns the rights to a rich gold lode that he refuses to mine because it is on sacred land.When a corrupt miner (James Caan) attempts to take over the rights to the hunter's mine and those of many other hard-working miners, the two men are drawn into a violent confrontation that highlights their differing attitudes about the rich frontier of Alaska. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Obviously needed cash
I am a huge James Caan fan. I mean, I could watch the man do nothing but sit in a chair and stare at a wall and I would love it. However, there is no doubt in my mind he was facing starvation when he made this film. How else can you describe a man with his talents acting in something so despicable? Jimmy, if you're short on cash give me a call. Don't ever stoop this low again. The writing is uninteresting at best, the entire movie seems to have been overdubbed as no one's voice matches his mouth, and Christopher Lambert makes Sophia Coppola's turn on Godfather III look like an Oscar nominated performance. I'm still mad I wasted 90 minutes on this drivel. If you insist on watching this picture do it with the sound off, it's the only way you'll make it through it with your self-respect.

A good Norwegian Western
Now here is a film with an interesting pedigree. Based on a novel by American author Will Henry, set in Alaska, but filmed in Norway by a British-French-Norwegian-Italian production. Whew! And with a cast that includes James Caan, Christopher Lambert, Catherine McCormack, and Burt Young, this film is about as multinational as it gets. Not that this is in the least bit unusual. Nils Gaup, best known to most people as the director of THE PATHFINDER, serves up another outdoor adventure set in the Arctic. Though hardly on par with his earlier effort, NORTH STAR is still a decent film on its own. At less than 90 minutes it is a briskly paced and beautifully photgraphed western. Christopher Lambert is either as good or as bad as he ever was, depending on how you feel about him. The idea of him playing a half-white, half-Indian named Hudson Santeek may strike some as ridiculous, but I think he's perfectly acceptable. Opposite Lambert is James Caan as xenophobic town patriarch Sean McLennon, who chews up scenery like there's no tomorrow. The conflict between them over a cave rich in gold but sacred to the people who raised Santeek results in a flurry of chasing, shooting, stabbing, and even a wolf mauling. Given all this, the climax and finale come off as rushed and rather disappointing. I must also admit that I liked John Scott's score in the European version much more than Bruce Rowland's in the American version. But that's a personal bias. The production values and technical aspects of the film are fine, the scripting and acting side less so. A shame considering the cast involved(especially McCormack, who is given too little to do), not to mention co-writer Sergio Donati, whose previous credits include ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and THE BIG GUNDOWN. For all its flaws, NORTH START is still a good, solid, and enjoyable B-movie. ... Read more