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The 13th Warrior

The 13th Warrior

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Harmless Warrior
Review: What a tremendously disappointing movie...I admit I wasn`t expecting much anyway, still I thought it would be better than this mess. What could have been a compelling and epic story about vikings ends up wasted with random fight sequences and the lack of a visible plot. Antonio Banderas tries, even if he hasn`t a proper character to play. In fact, this movie hasn`t real characters at all, just cardboard, one-dimensional charicatures. A shame, since director John McTiernan ("Die Hard") could certainly do better than this empty and uninteresting waste of celluloid. This is a pseudo-movie, since it seems that the story never really begins, making for a useless cinematic experience.
A good one to avoid.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The 13th Warrior
Review: This would have been great if Michael Chrighton left John Mcterian's cut untouched . What you have is a film of potential fantastic set pieces reduced to weak conclusions. This reminds me of David Fincher's vision of Alien 3 being compromised by studio executives. A great book transfered to a afternoon time filler; what a waste!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good action flick
Review: I first saw this movie in the theater when it came out but I felt compelled to watch it again just after finishing the book. I must say that the first time I saw the movie I didn't like it nearly as much as the second time. I suppose because the movie doesn't give the underlining story or all the customs going on, etc., that it doesn't come across as good as it did when I'd read the book and understood what was going on.

While the movie didn't follow the story exactly, it was pretty close and I'd give the adaptation a much better grade then I gave Timeline, which wasn't all that great in my opinion. The movie does have some gory scenes, thus the R rating, but it leaves all the male/female stuff found in the book out. All in all I'd give the movie a recommendation to watch, I'm not all that sure it's one to buy, watching it once (or perhaps twice) is plenty, it just doesn't have the strength of action and message as say Braveheart or Gladiator.

I'd also recommend reading the book first as the movie plays better that way in my opinion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A good film that deserves more recognition
Review: This is a good movie that deserves better recognition. It's is one of the few movies that is entertaining due to good characters and performances and at the same time makes you see things in new ways. I thought the interplay between the Arabic and Nordic culture was very interesting and well done, not heavy handed. I have a sad feeling that probably a lot of story development that could have moved this film to a "great movie" may have been edited out. Hopefully, maybe they'll be a directors cut some time in the future. For now, sit back and enjoy that rarest of commodities, an intelligent action film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting Plot
Review: The 13th Warrior stars antonio banderas in an unusual role, yet he flawlessly manages to convincingly portray an arab of the times. Actually based upon a book by micheal crithon , it is no wonder this movie is so compelling in it's story. The movie begins with Banderas narating and laying out the plot. The year is around the 9th century if I remember correctly, and the islamic sultans are at a height of power, leading a civilization that is much more "civilized" and technologically advanced than the western european kingdoms of the time. Banderas is a poet from Bagdad who falls in love with the wife of a powerful man. Out of jeolousy, Banderas's character is made ambassidor to the "barbarian" lands of the north. As he makes his way with his envoy through the caususus mountains to the vast steppes of what is now russia, he and his caravan come under attack by the tartars, only to be saved by the apearance of a viking longship which scares them off.

It is here that the story really begins. An arrogant Arab, Banderas is introduced to the strange and "barbaric" world of the norsemen. This cultural variety adds depth and an unusual element to the story, as arabs and vikings ussually don't sit side by side on the silver screen. While attempting to learn about these northmen, who seem so strange to banderas and his more conservative arab customs, the unexpected happens. A young boy shows up from scandanavia to ask for assistance combating a great evil which is attacking his homeland - an evil "which must not be said". A norse oracle calls for 13 warriors to be dispatched to fight this evil. After 12 big vikings volunteer, the oracle informs them that the 13th warrior must be no norsemen, and all heads turn to bandaras. Thus bandaras is caught up on this strange quest and is in for a good deal of adventure.

The action of the movie is enjoyable and intense and the story is original enough to gain my applause based on setting and characters alone. The 13th warrior really succeeds in creating familiar enough adventure story, with a very healthy dose of creativity. The relationship between the arab and the norse is particularly interesting. Eventually this gap, is closed and these two very different cultures learn respect and admiration of one another. Banderas last naration in the film illustrates this beautifully: "Praise be to Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. May his blessing be upon pagan men who loved other gods, who shared theirfood, shed their blood, that his servant, Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, might become a man and a useful servant of God."

The 13th warrior is a great adventure film, with plenty of originallity, and while some aspects of the plot are left to our own imagination, it leaves just enough to give you something to ponder once the credits role. The cinematography is excellent, and the director should be commended. Acting too was excellent, and scripting and diologue was top notch integrating just the right about of witty discourse, epic naration, and a touch of humor at times. All together, the 13th warrior is a great movie and a welcome change from the repetative plots and settings of similar films.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Like all movies, this one have its faults. But the overall picture is a glorious movie, with some fantastic battles, beautiful scenery, and great pacing.

I missed it in the theater, and will always regret it. But I own the DVD and watch it reguarly. Its not horribly long like some medieval epics tend to be, but every minute is enjoyable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Watch This Film
Review: Film is the depiction of an arabs life(antonio) who loved the wrong one and exiled from baghdad. but It's quite short,characters weren't mentioned deeply enough, to understand their personality.But I liked the scene where beawolf was poisoned.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A review with a difference!
Review: After reading all the reviews of this movie, I just felt I have to voice my view. I think people can get slightly too cerebal about movies and forget about the enjoyment/entertainment factor. I simply love this movie and I personally think it's one of Antonio Banderas' best acting efforts! I think I have watched this DVD over 20 times and it gets better with each viewing. I think every actor in this movie did a brillant job and the director did a excellent job of story telling. I know I'm not alone in my opinion of this movie. If you love movies with a sense of history, honour, steeped in mystery and especially swordplay you'll enjoy this. 10 out of 10!!!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Yes, I can draw sounds . . . and I can speak them back."
Review: "The 13th Warrior" is an unfocused film that somehow manages to remain just focused enough to hold together. Needless to say, any film with two directors working on it - John McTiernan and Michael Crichton - will naturally feel uneven, but this unevenness is balanced out by enough entertaining nonsense to make it palatable. Luckily, too many chefs didn't totally ruin the entrée this time around.

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) is a poet who joins up with a group of Norsemen. Ahmed is considered a curiosity by the Vikings but he soon integrates himself into their group after grasping their language. He accompanies the Vikings to defend an area besieged by warriors who are believed to be flesh eaters. Although inexperienced in the art of combat, Ahmed learns to become an able swordsman and takes his place as the destined 13th Warrior who will help to defeat the savage enemy.

The most interesting aspect of "The 13th Warrior" is the Viking group Ahmed accompanies. In the annals of cinema Vikings, the Vikings that populate this film rank with the best. They look, act, and feel like authentic Vikings. Their battle style is savage and the film is not affraid to include several graphic battle scenes that showcase the Vikings' ferocity. "The 13th Warrior" also scores points for its beautiful scenery and Jerry Goldsmith's musical score, but there is a sense of incompleteness about it. One would suspect that there was much more detail to the story that was never filmed or was filmed and dropped from the final edit. This shortcoming seriously hinders the epic scope the film probably originally sought to attain. Yet, even in its compromised form, there's enough left in "The 13th Warrior" to keep your attention.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Cromagnons on horseback
Review: Although I enjoyed the cinematography, with the inlets of British Columbia standing in for Norse fiords, it bothered me that the mysterious flesh-eaters creeping into the village on foggy nights later turned out to be hordes of heavy cavalry. Neolithic cave-dwellers on horseback? I don't think so. It's almost as if the writers decided halfway through the story that it just wasn't going to work without epic battle scenes, and wrote them in even though they are not at all in keeping with the sinister, other-worldly threat that summons the 13 warriors northward.


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