Rating: 
Summary: Left Me Craving for More
Review: "The 13th Warrior" is a very fast-paced (for the most part), entertaining, and wonderfully shot film. But, regretfully, when the credits started rolling I was left with a lot of questions that were never answered. At various points throughout this film, we (the audience) are introduced to a few intriguing subplots and a very vague back-story on Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (Banderas). These "introductions" ultimately seemed like a joke was being played on me to tease me into thinking I was going to be allowed to delve deeper into Fahdlan's experiences and his past. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this film immensely and recommend it to anyone looking for a film with extremely well done fight scenes and incredible performances from some actors and actresses you may have never heard of. Besides Banderas, of course, who's performance was outstanding as well. I only wish McTiernan would have let us see more of him and his adventures. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing Movie
Review: The movie trailer appears to portray a lot of action sequence. However, the movie turned out to be very boring and most of the scenes are in a dark setting, making it hard to capture all the "limited" action sequences. The story is very simple and based on a "Grendel" monster myth. I enjoyed the Star Trek Voyager version more. Definitely: DO NOT BUY or even rent.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting mix of history & mythology
Review: While obviously another light swords and headbanging action flick, I found the use of a sound historical basis for what is almost pure fantasy to be a very interesting mix. It gives one an insight into how myths of heroes may begin in fact. It is almost like the story is being told by one of the first witnesses to the battle and is embellishing the roles of the heroes. While not for the younger crowd, I would defineitely recommend this film to anyone interested in both hisory and fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: For me it was the best movie in 1999
Review: I have watched this movie three times already and I wouldn't mind watching it again. Everytime I found something new in it. Some people complained about the foreign language we hear at the beginning, but that's one of the thing I enjoy about it (english or french since I saw it in french are not the only languages) In it there was adventure, humor, a bit of romance and the meeting of two very different cultures, all the things I enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfully Adventureous Movie
Review: This movie was great. It started a bit slow for my taste but once you are into the movie the suspense and drama will keep you both captivated and on the edge of your sit. I was especially moved by a scene near the end of the movie. It is when all hope seems to be lost. The warriors make one last stand against the enemy. The odds that the warriors will win the battle is very slim. But, in his deathly ill state the warrior's leader makes his way to fight beside his warrior brothers. Here we see a show of bonding captured in direction, script, and score. This is a great film and one of my new favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Potential, Terrible Result
Review: The 13th Warrior is one of the most disappointing films I've seen. There was obviously a lot of potential for a good movie and the failure of come close to that potential forces me to give The 13th Warrior a low rating.The much-maligned failure to resolve the subplots is a big key. It gave the film a jerky feel, kept characters from developing, and generally left me feeling let down at the end of the film. It's too bad, there was potential for a good movie to live up to Crichton's story, but it failed miserably.
Rating: 
Summary: Good potential, but...
Review: This is a difficult film to review. Firstly, I must commend the filmmakers for excellent and sympathetic acting, wonderful cinematography, a gripping musical score, and solid writing. The films does keep one's attention well. This is the problem. "The 13th Warrior" gives the very strong impression of being a film that has been edited nearly to death, and given the careful attention that is given to the remaining portions, I strongly suspect that the director had little to do with the butchering. There are several subplots which are introduced and never resolved. Allusions are made to pre-christian Nordic culture and religion, but these are unsatisfactorily developed. When the film ended at approximately one hour and forty minutes, I watched the rolling credits with a growing sense of disappointment. This film could and SHOULD have been much longer, giving time to flesh out the rich history and culture which served as the film's setting. The casting and direction are excellent, and could easily sustain audience attention for another hour and half (or more). I do recommend that the film be viewed, but until a director's cut (hopefully one replete with some obviously missing scenes) is released, I would not recommend actually purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Fantasy Action Film
Review: It was like the stealth movie. Antonio Banderas (Zorro) starring in a movie based on a Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) book and . . . nothing. Most people never even heard of this film that inexplicably slid right through the box office with barely a whimper. But they missed a good one. The 13th Warrior is loosely based on the Crichton novel Eaters of the Dead. Banderas plays an Arab of high birth who is banished from his people for falling in love with the wrong woman. He is sent as an ambassador to the barbaric people of the North where he meets up with a dangerous, yet fairly affable group of Vikings. The plot gains speed when a child seeks out the leader of the Vikings to help defend a different Viking kingdom from an evil force. When an oracle determines that 13 warriors must go to combat the evil, Banderas is drafted because the 13th warrior must not be a northman. The thirteen "volunteers" head north to combat the evil force that decapitates and eats its victims. Make no mistake, this is a violent, bloody movie. But in the best tradition of classic fantasy, it is engaging and exhilarating. The battle scenes seemed to be filmed from the midst of the action, and the blows appear frighteningly real. The sword play is direct and brutal. This movie aims for a dark, serious tone and largely achieves it. Though the action scenes are terrific, the most appealing part of this film is the Viking characters. Though many of the roles are filled by unknown talent, the performances are right on. The Vikings are violently repulsive, yet decidedly brave, noble, and loyal. They, like the movie, are decidedly smarter and more subtle than they would initially appear. Banderas' Arab character goes from outsider to warrior as he slowly adopts the noble courage of his Viking companions. I'm sure most critics dismissed this film as meaningless violence. But it's much more than that if you take the time to look.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting European History
Review: This movie has flaws, but is nonetheless an effective adventure tale. It is more than merely an adventure tale, however, because it breathes life into an exciting period of Northern European history. The movie is true to that past on at least an emotional level, in its representation of the bravery and native intelligence of the Northmen (who are, specifically, the "Rus," who were Swedish Northmen who organized and gave their name to the state of Russia). The movie wanders from the truth, however, in its representation of the Rus culture as simple and pre-literate. Early in the movie, the leader of the Rus is portrayed as wanting proof from the visiting Arab (Banderas) that the signs that Banderas writes represent sounds that can be correctly read in the future. This implies that the Rus has not even been exposed to the concept of writing, not merely than he is illiterate or cannot read Arabic. This, of course, is absurd. By the year 200 A.D. long before the events in this story, runic writing was widespread throughout Germanic Europe. Futhermore, the Rus were widely traveled and had had extensive contact with Roman civilization, with Byzantium and with the Arab civilization. Therefore, although the Rus leader himself may have been illiterate, he cannot have been ignorant of the concept of writing. But other than this inaccuracy, the movie provides an exciting glimpse into the past. Some reviewers have criticized the movie for how it dealt with the issue of language, and for the accents of the actors. None of this bothered me. Although the movie would have been more accurate if everyone had spoken archaic Swedish, nobody really wants to read subtitles, particularly so in a movie that is action-oriented. This is a movie, not a linguistics lesson, and I thought that the director did a creditable job in dealing with all the language problems that are unavoidable in such a movie. What this movie lacks in Hollywood sophistication, it makes up for in its fresh spirit. The cast and crew for the most part aren't the usual Hollywood crowd. The casting of this movie is also authentic in that the cast members, regardless of their accents, are quite clearly kin of the Northmen they portray.
Rating:
Summary: Northmen, rage and Valhalla
Review: Good movie, lots of sword-fighting and mutilated bodies... if you like fantasy/God movies with a twist then this one is for you. The story itself could have been better... but see it with open eyes dont be a critic and enjoy.
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