The 13th Warrior (1999) User Reviews

Criminally underrated

[Fluke_Skywalker · 8/10 · 29 February 2016]

After a troubled production that saw the budget balloon to nearly $160 million and writer Michael Crichton step in and take over directing duties from John McTiernan ('Predator', 'Die Hard') on a series of re-shoots, 'The 13th Warrior' (Based on Crichton's novel "Eaters Of The Dead", well worth reading on its own), opened to scathing reviews and weak box office. According to Wikipedia, it's the biggest box office bomb in history. Quite a pedigree, eh? But here's the thing. It's a really good movie.

Featuring a classic stranger in a strange land formula and moving without any wasted motion--without sacrificing story or character, 'The 13th Warrior' is a rousing, old fashioned adventure tale. Antonio Banderas leads a cast of mostly unknowns, but everyone really makes the most out of their characters; particularly the 13 warriors themselves. Accompanied by a stirring score from the great Jerry Goldsmith, The 13th Warrior sits atop my list of the most underrated films of certainly the last few decades, if not all-time. Forget the naysayers, if you like the action/adventure genre, I think You'll like this one.

Good enough for what it is, fascinating for what it could have been.

[LordBlacklist · 8/10 · 8 February 2006]

This is an extremely well crafted film, but a poorly edited one. Much like The Ghost and the Darkness it has such a winning historical concept that it is easy to forgive a little narrative incoherency from time to time. This film is a bit muddled when it comes to plot and characterization but hits all the right notes in terms of creating an adventurous spirit and thrilling action sequences. Jerry Goldsmith's score is a real high point, as is the cinematography. This is an absolutely wonderful film to get all caught up in on a lonely night because it makes you feel as if you are on the journey with Banderas' character. It is an action thriller that is actually...thrilling. In particular the scene with the "fire dragon" is one of the more memorable battle sequences I have seen in any movie, and I really mean that. The only negative aspects of the film are the feeling that a lot of scenes were left on the editing room floor, which is true, and if there was ever a film that really deserved a director's cut this is certainly one of them so long as Jerry Goldsmith's music (the soul of the picture) remains in. (Greame Revell composed a score for the unreleased longer version, which I have heard and in no way compares to Goldsmith's thunderous adventure music). The lavish costumes, set designs, memorable characters, and brilliant camera work somehow allow this film to overcome its editorial handicaps. All being said, this is a film well worth watching.

Very well made entertaining movie

[ajlept · 8/10 · 2 September 2007]

I found myself glued to the television despite my inability to understand most of the early dialog in The 13th Warrior. Curiosity kept me from turning away and the action hooked me. Antonio Banderas' performance is intelligent and understated. He may headline, but the unknown actors take the lead with very strong performances. Omar Sharif is certainly recognizable, but of limited exposure here. It's sad that he belittled such a great movie because of it's box office failure. This movie has a LOTR feel about it without the high end production. The production here is just right for the story and cast. The main attraction over LOTR is that it only runs 103 minutes. Beware, if you are easily affected by carnage. But, if you enjoy a classic tale of good vs. evil and competitive action, you will embrace this adventure.

I loved this movie!

[pharalinga · 19 April 2000]

Action! Adventure! Incredible scenery and cinematography! But best of all a wonderfully powerful cast! As the deep and thoughtful chieftain Buliwyf, Vladimir Kulich was splendid. He played his part with dignity, power and intelligence. Another stand-out performance was that of Dennis Storhoi who played Herger the Joyous. Perfect timing and temperament. Really fun to watch. Antonio Banderas as the narrator of the piece and, incidentally, the 13th warrior was also fun to watch. He has a knack for humor and uses it well. The whole ensemble cast was a joy to watch as they moved through-out the film as a team of men who valued each others strengths and talents.

The camera work in this film is dangerous and thrilling. Our perspective is intimate and that lends a great deal of excitement to the movie experience. Thank you Mr. Menzes!

The 13th Warrior is for anyone who believes in honor, valor and courage. Also, for anyone who likes Vikings, horses, battles, blood and gore or men. Women who like men will like this movie!

Scandinavian myths and mysteries, brought in a very decent way.

[philip_vanderveken · 7/10 · 6 April 2005]

I guess every region has its own legends and saga's, but I've always found the Scandinavian legends about trolls, monsters and ghosts even more intriguing and interesting as ours. It's no wonder that these people have created these legends once. If you've been there and if you've seen the impressive nature with its immense forests and lakes, the fact that the sun never rises in winter and stays 24 hours a day in summer... makes it easy to understand why this is the land of such creatures.

The movie tells the story of an Arab courtier / diplomat who was sent to the barbaric North as a punishment for falling in love with the wrong woman. In AD 922, this could be seen as an execution, because there was no way he would return (it's the same reason why the Catholic Church sent people who had committed awful sins, as pilgrims from our region to Santiago De Compostella in Spain). When they are about to get robbed and killed somewhere in the fields, they manage to escape and accidentally stumble upon a group of Vikings, which saves their lives, because the Barbarians are terrified of these vicious warriors from the North. They soon get befriended and are able to stay with the Vikings, when a young boy, a messenger from the North, comes to the Vikings to ask for help. In their home country many people die because of "an evil whose name should not be pronounced". They consult an oracle who tells them that they should send 13 warriors, but that one of them shouldn't be a Viking. The Arab, however not believing that these mythical creatures from the forests really exist, joins them in their battle against the Wendol...

Normally I'm not too much of a fan of Antonio Banderas' work, but this time I really liked him as the Arab with the impressive name of Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad (I guess you better don't try to say that 10 times in a row). The other actors all did a very good job as well, even though I have to admit that I've never heard of most of them before.

The story is nice and well written, the way it was all shot is done properly and overall I must say that I really enjoyed watching this movie. I'm sure that many will not agree, but personally I liked it more than the "The Lord of the Rings" movies. I like legends and mystery in movies and this movie gave me both. I give it a 7.5/10.

A rare but good Viking movie.

[CharltonBoy · 7/10 · 6 May 2002]

I was thinking while watching this movie, why are there hardly any viking movies made? There is a good recipe for an action movie with Vikings what with the fighting,raping and pilliging and the 13th Warrior is a good action movie, although the Vikings are the good guys in this. Antonio Banderes plays an arab who is picked to fight as a warrior against an unknown race of people who attacked a village of Vikings. This has the feel of the Seventh Samarai of the Magnifiscent Seven ,the few oppressed against the many. While this film has nothing it it to make it a brilliant film it is very watchable and i would advise you to watch this if you are into war/action/adventure movies. 7 out of 10.

Totally unexpected, this was a great movie!

[rklok · 9/10 · 5 May 2008]

Don't believe the negative reviews on this one. Its easily the most underrated movie I have come across, and can best be described as a hidden gem for the ones who like historical adventure/action-movies (Braveheart/Gladiator/Kingdom of Heaven/Robin Hood) and fantasy-movies.

Others have described it better here on IMDb, so I am just going to say this: It is not a historical correct piece, and do not try to be. It should be viewed as a fantasy, even though the vikings portrayed and their buildings/settlement is the most realistic I have seen in any movie to date.

Btw: To all you who like the above-mentioned movies for the big battle-scenes and sword-fighting, don't expect this one to have its major impact in that area (even though it got them). On the other hand this movie portrays a much more realistic take on fighting in pre-medieval times. Instead of having the one super-hero defying all logic, you get a band of fighting comrades which together becomes a fierce force. There is a fantastic cast in this movie, with Banderas, Storhøi and Kulich making their characters come truly alive.

This is a great adventure of a movie, which should be regarded alongside the other movies I mentioned above.

9/10 - Must see for all who like adventure/fantasy

Terror and action with an excellent Antonio Banderas battling killer marauders

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 27 March 2006]

In the Dark Ages , AD 922 Ahmad Ibn (Antonio Banderas) an Arab nobleman is banished by a wrong love to the Barbaric north . On his way he encounters Turks in Central Asia and Russian and Varangians (Volga Vikings) . As a diplomatic person he meets an experienced Arab (Omar Sharif) and befriends a group of Vikings Norsemen (Vladimir Kulich,Dennis Storhoi..) returning their homeland . Shortly after , he is enlisted to battle a mysterious evil force, creatures of the mist (though never explains who the ravenous-hunger "mist monsters" actually are and in the novel, they were the descendants of the Neanderthals) attacking by night as supernatural head-cutters (Wendol) and devouring human flesh that threaten the village existence .

This epic movie initially titled ¨Eaters of the dead¨and subsequently ¨The 13th Warrior¨ begins with a real sense of wonder and surprise and winding up with continuous struggles against the body eaters . The picture packs great loads of action , special effects abundant , horror , breathtaking combats and a little bit of gore and blood . Based on the historic character : Ahmed Ibn Fadlan who traveled as an emissary to the land of the Volga Bulgars to convert them to Islam , he returned in 923, and no record after this date refers to him. Stunning battles scenes illuminate the full-blown adventure with a plethora of engaging action set pieces on the combats in which the heads and limbs are slice off here and there and everywhere while other parts of body are slit open . The movie was slated to be released as "Eaters of the Dead" in 1998, after the film was considered unwatchable during test screenings , then Michael Crichton took over the project , and he made some important changes .

The film gets an impressive control of the crowd scenarios with a climatic and overwhelming finale battle . Exceptional and colorful cinematography shot in Canadian outdoors by Peter Menzies . Musical score by the veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith is extraordinary and spectacular . However , Graeme Revell had composed a complete original score , but Revell's original soundtrack was scorned , and brought in Jerry Goldsmith to rescore the movie . The film is based on Michael Chricton's (also producer) novel :¨Eaters of the dead¨ inspired by medieval poem ¨Beowulf ¨ and the authentic travel realized by a scout Arab towards Northland . The film was shelved during years for disagreement among director (McTiernan) and producer (Chricton) . The motion picture was beautifully executed with phenomenal production design (Wolf Kroeger) and well directed by John McTiernan . The flick will appeal to adventures cinema buffs and Antonio Banderas fans . Rating : 7.5/10 . Above average . Well worth seeing for numerous action battle scenes which have you on the edge of your seat.

Keeps getting better with each viewing

[severin72 · 9/10 · 29 December 2006]

This film makes one wonder what would have happened if, after the superb understated little gem that was "Nomads" Mctiernan had made something other than "Die Hard". Apparently assorted screenplays for an adaptation of Michael Crichton's pseudo-historical novel "Eaters of the Dead" had been knocking around Hollywood for years before Crichton's name become forever associated with "Jurassic Park". At that point the smell of money began to emanate from the project and so, away we went. This could very easily have been awful. That it is actually an emotionally and structurally complete and satisfying film is, in no small part, due to its respectful and level-headed treatment of two disparate and under-explored cultures, both foreign to western audiences namely Umayad Arab and Viking. Anonio Banderas is as good as he has ever been as Ibn Fahdlan, an unwilling ambassador to the Norsemen who finds himself part of a band of unusually believable heroes defending a crumbling Scandanavian kingdom against a possibly supernatural menace. The casting of (to Americans at least) unknown European actors as the viking warriors is key to making them seem to be so real and thus to committing the audience to their fate. Czech actor Vladimir Kulich as leader Buliwyf is a dominating presence and equal credit goes to the Norwegian Dennis Storhoi as the charmingly phlegmatic Herger the Joyous. Accepting that, at some level, this is "The Seven Samuraii" with longboats this is an original and entertaining experience. McTiernan, making intelligent use of night and a rain machine, films some of the better battle sequences in recent memory. He also presides over the most thoughtful (if not totally plausible) handling of different languages that I can recall seeing. It's sort of the next logical step from his transitioning from Russian to English on board the Red October. An interesting tale in a gorgeous and well thought-out historical context. Entertaining without being mindless. In other words, a rarity.

WOO-HOO!! Viking-Violence!!!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 20 January 2004]

I'm really wondering why there aren't making more movies like this! What is in more interesting than the history of the Scandinavian countries? What is more fascinating than the tales of Northern myths and their legendary Gods?? Well, in my personal opinion, nothing is and that's why I was so enthusiast when I first heard about this Thirteenth Warrior being released! And even though I'll admit the film is flawed on several levels, I enjoyed it very much and I'd like to encourage as much people as possible to find out more about the North men and their intriguing history. Co-producer Michael Crichton who also wrote the screenplay bases the 13th Warrior on his own `Eaters of the Dead' novel. It's a tale of a banished Arab man who joins twelve North men on a conquest against an ancient form of evil. He learns their language and becomes a warrior during the journey, he fights along against the `Wendol'…These are giant bear-like men who're extremely violent and savage. The good thing about The 13th Warriors is that it contains multiple impressive battle sequences and extremely interesting characters. For example the leader of the North men - Buliwyf - who's a truly overwhelming personality. The costumes and geographical settings are breath taking and perhaps even the most succeeded aspects in the entire production. And, of course, you can't tell a Viking tale without the use of explicit violence…the battles are pretty gruesome and the shed of blood is enormous. I didn't have a problem with that, though. I even love it but it might be something to keep under consideration when you have a weak stomach and you're planning to watch this film. Yet, it's only fair that I name a few of them negative elements The 13th Warrior suffers from. The largest parts of the script – and especially the dialogues – are very poorly written. The film also desperately tries to insert humor that is painfully unfunny and even embarrassing at times. Even the entire last battle scene may have been skipped since it's too heroic and a bit too much. Terrifically shot, though. Antonio Banderas will never be a class-A actor, neither…luckily for him, the accent works out well enough in stories like this. Nonetheless, The 13th Warrior is good entertainment and the background of it is food for education! Vikings rule!!

You'll ask "why?" a lot

[Denver53 · 2/10 · 1 May 2000]

We had high hopes for this movie. They were in vain. This is a classic example of a movie that had almost no thought put into its plot. It is a series of fights, interrupted from time to time with scenes of dialogue that raise more questions than they answer.

The 13th Warrior begins with a scene of Ambassador Ahmet (who existed in real life) headed north after being sent away so he won't fool around with the king's wife. He and his small retinue bump into a passing Viking gang, and for reasons never explained Ahmet must join a band of 13 Vikings in a mission to help a semi-feudal village that is under attack. Even more odd is Ahmet's decision to join the Vikings. He already has a mission, and doesn't seem to be under any duress. Even a throw-away line along the lines of, "I decided to go, so I could learn more about these North People who I will need to understand as ambassador" would have helped.

Along the way Ahmet learns how to speak the Viking language by, apparently, watching the Vikings talk. Never are we shown a Viking saying a word and tying it to an item, so that an observer might be able to attach meaning to the words. Yet somehow our hero learns the language. What are the odds of that?

At this point The 13th Warrior becomes a sort of a Viking "Seven Samauri," with our Viking heroes gathering the village people (the serfs, not the disco group, though if *those* Village People appeared it would not have surprised me) to defend the town against a band of cannibals who are (again) never fully explained.

During the ensuring battle scenes, there is an attempt to show a juxtaposition between the culture of Ahmet the Muslum and Rennaisance Man and that of the crude but effective Vikings. For example, Ahmet has trouble wielding a Viking broadsword but once he has a curved scimitar made to order he is ready to rock (of course, later, when the band sorties on a mission to attack the cannibals, Ahmet has a Viking broadsword tied to his back and the scimitar is nowhere in sight). Also, just before a big battle, Ahmet suddenly drops to his knees to pray as Muslins do five times a day (though we never see him do it at any other time). Anyway, you can *almost* feel the threads of a plot here revolving around Ahmet as an observer of another culture, but it never is clear nor develops (just like the rest of the movie).

There are many instances where events make no sense. The cannibal tribe at one point early on seem to have kicked the Vikings' butts and are burning the village, then withdraw at the sound of a horn for no apparent reason. It just means they have to attack again later, after the village has time to recover a bit. There also seems to be some voodoo involved in that the Vikings (and Ahmet, for a little while) don't know if the cannibals are men or spirits. It's unclear why there is any doubt, since the cannibals look like guys with animal headdresses and fall when they are stabbed. And throughout the movie it appears that the odds are something like 20 or 30 to 1 against the Vikings (and the cannibals are on horses!), yet somehow we have a happy ending.

The movie *tries* to draw on a theme of honor and courage. The Viking leader is noble and fights until he can no longer fight. But that theme is underminded by the numerous ploy holes. Why should we care about these people and what they fight for? Why are there only 13? Why do the cannibals attack? How did this start? Without answers to basic questions (and no clear indication of a moral cause), the idea of honor falls flat.

I cannot believe the average rating for this movie is 6.2. We gave it a 2.

Fantastic Epic

[alihbous-1 · 10/10 · 3 November 2007]

The 13th Warrior was murdered by critics when it 1st came out. As one of the best Epic adventures ever, The 13th warrior is very entertaining and sweeping on every level. The final battle was nothing short of exhilarating, and it was a joy to see Omar Sharif on the big screen again. This movie is very underrated and it went unnoticed...I think the marketing for this movie sucked. My biggest disappointment is that Jerry Goldsmith's score in this movie never received any award and surely his work in this one is one of the best ever to be put on film..on par with Randy Edelman's work in the last of the mohicans. The movie is never boring. Running only for 90 minutes there is no one dull moment or space for you to sit back and relax..everything happens fast and straight to the point. The direction and the cinematography are all top notch, while the cast is great specially the actor who played Beowulf..his commanding presence on the screen totally ruled the movie.

Epic story told in a precise, short yet attention grabbing manner!

[master-yoda99 · 7/10 · 4 January 2008]

Recently I bought the DVD of the 13th warrior. After watching it, I regret not having seen back in 1999 when it was on the big screen.

The sound effect in the movie was awesome, the acting was brilliant as well. The story is short and solid, even though the story is straight forward, yet it contains twist and turns that kept me in my seat throughout the entire movie. I am sure that the movie plot somehow contains elements from the story of Beowulf, I mean, the leader of the warrior is Buliwyf (similar to Beowulf), and a brave, brave warrior at his best. The ending was dramatic and heroic. I watched it twice already, it is likely that I will watch it again and again in the future.

silly battle scenes

[rebeljenn · 4/10 · 26 March 2006]

'The 13th Warrior' is an action/adventure film about a group of Viking warriors. Although there were some good ideas, I felt that they failed to come to life in this film. The characters could have been more interesting than they were, and they feel distant. The story really fails to engage because of the characters and the overall methods in which the story is told. However, the battle scenes were done well, except some of the events taking place turned out to be funny rather than serious. (The sound effects and some of the scenes of heads getting slashed, people doing miraculous killing moves against the odds, horses leaping in the nick of time to safety, over-acting character emotions, and showing a lot of gore for the sake of gore were silly.) This film can be enjoyed and laughed at both if you're not looking for much of a story.

I watched it 20 times, it never gets old. Go for it!

[NovackrS · 12 July 2019]

Oh, well, this movie seems to have fallen into obscurity now. I will start this short review with the latest references to this:

• Vladimir Kulich, the 2nd leading actor besides Banderas, voiced Ulfrick Stormcloack, the leader of the Stormcloack faction in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I could tell this from the first damn second, because the actors and the music from this movie was so amazing, I still remember the soundtrack and all of the punchline.

• Vladimir Kulick was also featured in the TV series, the Vikins for a few brief episodes, for a minor role.

What is very interesting is the fact that Kulick was first introduced to the show the same way Bandera's character was introduced to the Vikings: by bathing and spewing in the same pot (an obvious reference to the 13th Warrior.

What will impress you most? The atmosphere. Then the music. Then the landscape. Then the fights and the humor. This movie has something for everyone.

What I liked most? The soundtrack is absolutely monumental. I listen to it from time to time and tonight I really felt the need to write a review about it.

A flawed, but underrated film in my opinion

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 7/10 · 23 September 2012]

I never read the book yet, but I'm planning to someday if I have the chance. However, I wasn't too sure whether or not I should like this movie adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, so I decided to watch the whole thing online feeling a little underwhelmed at first, but as the film progresses, I said to myself, "You know what? This might turn out pretty decent." and it did. Apparently, this movie has some problems that ruined it, but I don't think this movie is as bad as the critics said it was.

Let me start off with the redeeming aspects. The scenery is magnificent, the costumes and make-ups are brilliant, and cinematography is solid it gives a great atmosphere to the entire film. The direction is above-decent, the pacing never fails to be too fast nor too slow and the music from Jerry Goldsmith is great with some dark moments that suited the gripping action sequences really well, but the strongest aspect goes to it's fine acting. Antonio Banderas is great as the lead role, Vladimir Kulich is also good, and Diane Venora is beyond excellent. Like I said before, there are some flaws and those are it's predictable story, messy script, and mediocre dialog.

Overall, The 13th Warrior isn't a kind of masterpiece that I would recommend to fans of the book, but in my opinion, I would say that this is quite underrated and a decent one too. Thumbs up!

Nice gem of a movie

[darapjohnson · 7/10 · 26 April 2023]

An arab and a Viking walks into a bar... Jokes aside, this movie was amazing even up to the end. It did what most movies lack now a days and in the past too. A "perfect" ending to its story. Banderas was good as always and the unique story was amazing. The only flaws I could find about this movie was that the fight scenes were a bit lackluster (but what did you expect from a movie from 1999) and a bit of shaky cam which is never good in a movie except for when it's needed (in a horror movie for example.). All in all though, a good and enjoyable movie. But when is Antonio Banderas not entertaining?

Why is this movie so underrated?

[yusufpiskin · 8/10 · 14 October 2020]

"Merciful Father, I have squandered my days with plans of many things... this was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well." -Ahmed Ibn Fadhlan

Criminally underappreciated adventure! It mixes real Arab traveller Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, mythical story of Beowulf and Neolithic cavemen. The more you know about these three, the more enjoyment you will get from this movie. I can easily understand how people unfamiliar with these subjects were just lost and confused, feeling not helped by choppy editing where even important side characters just disappear without a trace!

I love it! Banderas is great balancing charm and humor in equal measure. Vladimir Kulich is spot on as the Viking leader Buliwyf. It's also strange and great to see sword and sorcery movie where main protagonist prays for Allah before final battle.

Where is bluray with extras? Where is directors cut? Take my money already!!!

100 % Testosteron

[k-schwertl92 · 7/10 · 25 June 2013]

This film is as MANLY as film like this can get. It's on the same level as CONAN THE BABARIAN. One giant piece of epicness.

Jerry Goldsmith does one hell of a good job as a composer. He and Basil Poledouris knew how to compose the music for a film like that. Forget the Skyrim soundtrack (as good as it is), this is the music for a barbarian epic.

John Mc Tiernan delivers a solid work as the director. His visions for how to put the word epic on the big screen really pay off. It's not on the same high level as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it doesn't have to be. He did the best he could and you can feel that.

I never was a huge fan of Antonio Banderas but, by god, he fits the role. Even if he is Spanish, he looks like an arab. As I said, I never was a big fan of his acting, but here he gave his very best. Maybe not in every single shot he is in, but I don't blame him for that. He did a very good job in my opinion.

In all this film deserves a lot of respect. It's one hell of a good film, even with its flaws and problems here and there.

Check it out. It's a good one.

Great Viking Fantasy

[FlorianSchirner · 9/10 · 26 February 2007]

Yeeeaaah!...This is definitely one of my Top 5 Favourites. Why? OK lets expound. First, the camera and editing. It's fabulous in my opinion. Fast paced, but not too fast,with great scenic shots. I don't like the modern MTV-Style of editing with its fast cuts and sweeps. I like it a bit more subtle. And this is done here. The scene at the watchtower for example, esp. the moment when the camera lingers a moment on Banderas, when he is looking for the mist. Great! Second, the scenery and production design. These guys should be very proud. Apart from one type of armor (Helfdane the fat), which is a bit too modern (It looks like a Spanish Conquistador-Armor), all look very neat and stylish (As a Live-role-player I have to say, I envy Bullwyf for his cloak). The weapons look real and authentic too. The buildings in the village and the great hall look like original replicas they have in Scandinavian museums. Third, the cast. Perfectly cast through all roles. My personal favourites are Diane Venora as the Queen, Sven Wollter as King Hrothgar and Kulich as Bulwyf. But all the others deliver peak performances. Last but not least is the script. I read the book "Eater of the dead" before I saw the movie. I liked the story and used it in several P&P RPG-sessions but after the film...whoooah. They took all, that is possible to put in the movie and made that movie. Personally, I rate the movie better than the book...no, not better, more entertaining, since the book is more of a documentary.

One of Hollywood's best Viking movies

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 14 November 2016]

I really got a kick out of this old-fashioned adventure yarn which features a band of heroic and noble Vikings battling an army of cannibalistic inhuman warriors. Maybe it's the epic-feeling spirit of the film, the worthy dialogue or the strong and just characters which reminded me of a Cameron Mitchell Viking movie on a big budget, or Jerry Goldsmith's sweeping score. Despite tons of post-production difficulties (Michael Crichton having to re-edit the film and Goldsmith re-scoring the original music), the film looks and sounds spectacular and even more impressive in some ways than the following year's GLADIATOR. The plot is effectively simple and in some ways recalls THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: a band of heroes are brought together to protect an ageing king and his town from an unknown enemy.

The fact that Hollywood hasn't made a film about the Vikings for decades gives this movie a freshness often lacking from modern-day adventure yarns; the mostly Norwegian cast also helps to add to the authenticity. Of course, audiences wouldn't bother watching this film without a familiar face or two in the cast, thus we have imported star Antonio Banderas in the role of an Arab forced to join with the Vikings and take up arms again a seemingly indestructible foe. Banderas is reasonably good in his part, and walks a fine line between being friendly and likable and tough and heroic. Also appearing is Omar Sharif, although for name value more than anything else (he only appears in the film's prologue, helping to explain some of the story).

The best thing about this film by far is the photography, which is simply magnificent. The landscape is all misty forests and rolling hillsides and the colour is lush and beautiful and always stunning. In fact this is one of the most beautifully-shot films I've ever seen. Even the night-time sequences are lovely to look at, with the actors lit by shimmering red glow from the flames of their fires. I love the mystical aspects in the first half of the film, with the hidden enemy being portrayed as monsters, and the mysterious "fire dragon" which appears spookily out of the mist to menace our heroes. I love the eerie descent into the bowels of the earth which is great stuff and evokes an almost Lovecraftian atmosphere. The action scenes, too, are impressively rendered and follow in the recent trend of Hollywood's historical epics by offering plenty of graphic gore and violence to add to the movie's realism. There are more than enough reasons to watch and enjoy this movie, although surprisingly it wasn't a hit; I find it to be perfectly acceptable viewing with the only minor flaw being that it's perhaps not as exciting as it could have been.

Nice To Look At, But Story Is Only 'Fair'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 26 August 2006]

I found this wasn't a bad action film and certainly better than the national critics would have you believe.

The best feature of the movie is the cinematography and the 5.1 sound. Story- wise, it's so-so, about a bunch of Norsemen along with Arab (played by Antonio Bandaras) fighting some Mongol invaders.

The film could have used some humor, some better character development, and perhaps even a love interest . It also could have been better had it been 10-15 minutes shorter, but that's a common complaint of movies. Othersise, despite all that, it was still fairly interesting with beautiful colors and scenery.

A few comments (long)

[bdiebold · 10/10 · 26 September 2002]

I feel the need to comment to a few of the reviews I read from the first page, which I must say were totally off-base.

A few notes, at random, and in no particular order.

Several reviewers are evidently confused about the relationship of the movie to a textual source. Specifically, they don't get the point, because they misunderstand what it's trying to do. The movie is based on the novel "Eaters of the Dead", by Michael Crichton. This novel is a fictionalized history, written in the form of an epic translation (which it isn't), and recounts what happens when a group of Norsemen, accompanied by an Arab observer end up at war with a remnant population of Neandertals. Yes, Neandertals. It's not completely ridiculous, though the most recent evidence for neandertals that I know of (I'm an archaeologist) in northern Europe is about 25k before present. It didn't happen -- it's just Crichton's device, and it's a fun one. Neandertals are very close to modern people, but not the same. They are in some sense Other, and to xenophobes like medieval Norse they must have seemed, well, something like Grendel is discribed in Beowulf. When Crichton wrote this, originally in the 1970s, even less was known of Neandertals than now, thus the brutish characterization, exaggerated a bit by the movie.

Once this background is adequately understood, several criticisms should disappear:

A. One reviewer complains that the movie isn't faithful enough to the original text, apparently believing in this case the text written by Ahmed ibn-Fahlan, and published a few years ago. This reviewer appears unaware that this is a literary conceit on the part of the actual author, Michael Crichton.

B. Meanwhile, a second reviewer complains that the movie is insufficiently close to the Beowulf myth. As implied by the above, this criticism goes nowhere, because it is not a simple retelling of Beowulf. "Eaters of the Dead" is Crichton's effort to fictionally historicize Beowulf by placing it in the context of a struggle of Norse against a remnant population of neandertals. "The 13th Warrior" is a pretty accurate retelling of the encounter as envisioned by Crichton, and its relationship to Beowulf is as tangential as Crichton's.

C. A review complains about the ragged mobs of bad guys, clad in bear skins for no good reason. The reason is that there is good evidence to suppose Neandertals had a ritual life oriented in some way around cave bears. They might be ragged mobs because the book, and movie, are emphasizing their primitiveness, relative to the modern humans they are fighting. I had more difficulty with Neandertal cavalry, but there isn't any particular reason to believe a remnant population of Neandertals couldn't observe the use of domesticated horses, steal some, and figure it out from there.

D. I didn't think that was the lamest love interest subplot ever by far. First, the woman was gorgeous, so it can't be a waste. (heh, okay) Second, it underscores the relatively casual attitude of the norse toward sex, especially as initiated by women. This is obviously not a universal trait in medieval western cultures, and is a nice historical touch. It would have been sappier if he'd stayed or she'd followed, but neither happens. It's a moment of comfort and connection in a hopeless situation, and works well in that context.

E. We have no idea how a complex Neandertal society might work -- there's no evidence to suggest they might ever have had one. For them to coalesce briefly around a few charismatic leaders, and disperse when those leaders die, is no stretch at all. In fact, it's the most likely scenario. I'm not that'd happen in the middle of a battle, but maybe it would. Who knows? After all, if they had a structured society that *didn't* depend on the presence of charismatic leaders, they'd be more visible in the archaeological record, and might have been more of a threat. It'd be a different situation, certainly. Anyway, it's Crichton's story and it works.

I have no particular rebuttal to those who didn't like the characters or the acting or whatever, except to say I think they're dead wrong. And the reviewer suggesting this as MST2K material ... well...evidently doesn't know much about 13th Warrior OR MST2K. (Trying to be nice here). Hint: MST2K makes fun of *bad* movies, not good ones. I love the characters and thought the chemistry was terrific. Visually, it's stunning.

The movie just works great on a lot of levels. It's just a quietly great movie. Certainly on my top 10 list, and probably top 5. A lot of my friends avoided it in the theater, but when I show them the video, I haven't seen anyone not like it. I think it will have a solid second life. It should.

(Apologies for length)

Amazed

[Chewie-46 · 7/10 · 13 October 2008]

When i had a look on the cover, I though this couldn't be that great of a movie. And apparently by speaking with friends, they told me it wasn't that great, however none of them have ever watched it. I had a hard time recognize the language used in the beginning, finding out it is Latin and Arab. When it comes to the Vikings, I as a Norwegian couldn't get a complete hand on what they spoke, but took a guess it might have been some kind of Danish. However when the Kings son spoke, I could confirm that Norwegian was spoken in this movie.

For me, I don't really know many "Big movies" containing Norwegian, so this was a nice surprise. To bad it didn't last the whole movie, but it still beats X-Files episode where they travel to Norway, but where they speak Danish.

The language was basically the biggest thrill for me, but still this movie manage to have a fair deal of action. A little setback for me was that I expected some "real" fighting, and not against some bear people. I give this movie 7.

Lacking movie...

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 20 March 2005]

This movie is seriously lacking. With a story like this you would expect something way better than this pretty messy movie.

Especially from a director like John McTiernan you would expect something way better. The movie however is seriously lacking tension while the story itself on its own is pretty tense and mysterious. With "Predator" McTiernan showed that he could mix hard-action with science-fiction. Then why can't he mix adventure with action?

The characters are heavily underdeveloped and I seriously can't tell who is who in this. Antonio Banderas however is good and believable as the anti-hero this time.

The sword fights are also somewhat disappointing. The movie is just way too dark and you can't really tell what is happening the whole time. Also the fights are pretty short themselves. There however are some good gory scene's. A normal functional male while still find some pleasure in watching this movie.

Also the pace feels just completely wrong at times and the story never really becomes completely clear. The story itself reminded me also a bit too much of other stories and movies like "The Magnificent Seven". Yes, they could have really called this movie "The Magnificent Thirtheen".

McTiernan really messed this movie up.

5/10

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