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Summary: "First We Hunt Them Down, Then We Kill Them All"
Review: As the remnants of a band of twelve Viking warriors saddle up to ride off in search of the stronghold of a horde of savages, their Arab ally Ibn Faladan asks their battle plan. The reply? "First we hunt them down, then we kill them all!"That is the spirit of their formidable leader, Beowulf, King of the Geats. Only in this movie Beowulf is a chieftan of the Rus, the Viking invaders of Dark Ages Russia. The author took considerable license with Beowulf's saga, whether for good or ill let another judge. As I see it, the result was a great action/adventure story. Some striking features of the story: The prayer/poem recited by the doomed maiden at the chieftan's funeral, repeated by Beowulf and his thanes before the final battle. The growth of Ibn Faladan from a foppish dandy to an accomplished fighting man. The Vikings' exuberant, lusty love of life juxtaposed against their nonchalant willingness to kill and die. My favorite scene came when the witch was called in to take the auguries and advise on a course of action. She threw some bones and made some passes and decreed that thirteen warriors must embark upon a quest which would end in almost certain death. Twelve went eagerly and the thirteen, Ibn Faladan, reluctantly. The movie has its flaws (Antonio Banderas as an Arab? Since when do Arabs have Hispanic accents?), but it does what it set out to do. It entertains!
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Summary: Retelling of Beowulf May Bring Tale to Modern Audience
Review: "The 13th Warrior," from Michael Crichton's novel entitled "The Eaters of the Dead" is, essentially, a retelling of the old Anglo-Saxon tale of Beowulf. Literary scholars will recognize Grendel and his mother in the monsters described to the Norsemen.
Antonio Banderas plays an explorer who is exiled from Baghdad and sent to the North to serve as "ambassador" ... although he knows why he is sent, and is resigned to the idea. When he is named by a seer as the 13th warrior who must join the Norsemen when they go to the Saxon territories (at the request of a lord/prince) to fight the "monsters" (who turn out to be, essentially, a neolithic culture), he gains a new understanding of life and of himself. There is only one jarring moment in the film, and that is when Banderas finds himself, as if by magic, suddenly able to understand the Germanic tongue of his hosts without appearing to have studied the language at all. This is a significant departure from the book, in which one of the Norsemen helps him to learn a bit of the language and he slowly begins to comprehend. I feel strongly that reading the book prior to viewing the film is a good plan ... there is entirely too much backstory that makes no sense otherwise.
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Summary: Warrior Spirit
Review: This movie can show you more about the warrior spirit than any of the phony martial arts films out there. The scene near the end where the norsemen -- and their arab "brother" -- step up one by one to stand in front of the charging enemy gives new meaning to the phrase "stand up guy." Let's hope that the studio releases a "director's cut" with some of the edited material included.
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Summary: A non-passionate book, a more passionate movie
Review: I read the book "Eaters of the dead" 6 months after I saw the movie. Surprisingly, the book lacked some of the passion that the movie contained. Well, it's not like the movie was whole lot better though, but the battle scenes were better orchestrated than the book portrayed.....with passion and fervour. The movie is however not without its loopholes. Arabs, even today, are rarely without facial hair. In 922 A.D., a clean shaven Banderas would have been branded a "kaffir" in Baghdad and stoned to death or punished in a way similar to those lines. Another misrepresentation is that of the Vikings. Bulwiyf.....a clean shaven dude??? The Vikings were unkempt and uncouth, and yet a few shaved and kept themselves Gillette smooth. Now thats some misnomenclature. Also,according by Ibn Fahdlan's description, the Viking women were sexually wanton. Did we see much of it??? Well, Banderas had a roll in the hay (literally) with one, but then, for the sake of the book, a few wanton scenes could have corroborated to that fact. Furthermore, Diane Venora looked so plebian, it was hard to believe that she was the white shrouded, be-jewelled Queen Weilew. These and more facts somewhat contradict whats' in the book, but the movie is not bad at all. The music is very chilling and apt. The performances by Storhoi (Herger)and Kulich (Bulwiyf) are paces ahead of Bandera's. The climactic battle is very passionately fought, albeit a short one. One may wear a sad face for Bulwiyf in the end, which is possible...or so they say often in the movie. Rent it or buy it, it is worth a couple of views atleast.
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Summary: 1st Reel Good Arabs
Review: I rate this movie a five star movie not because it is so GREAT but because it is the first movie in cinema history to be fair with Arabs image. If you read the book "Reel Bad Arabs" you'd know what I am talking about. The story of this movie could be not all that although it is still an interesting movie to be watched. But what makes this movie one of a kind is that it is the first time Hollywood gives up the stereotype against Arabs and Muslims. The story revolves around 13 warriors who goes to defend a North Kingdom and fight against daemons. The 13th Warrior (played by Antonio Banderas) was not a warrior until he was chosen by an oracle to be one! I recommend at least renting this movie if not buying it! IT IS WORTH IT!
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Summary: An Epic Movie, Definately A Must See!
Review: This is certainly a great movie. Great characters, a good plot, super cinematography, and a fantastic musical score. I have seen it time and time again and never get tired of it. See the movie and then read the book. It would be great to see a directors cut.
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Summary: Un estilo distinto
Review: Lean el libro primero y luego vean la pelicula o vean y la pelicula y luego lean el libro, es asombroso como se respeto el contexto del original, no es un drama fantástico escrito sin razón es la narrativa de los hechos presenciados por alguien hace algo más de mil años, es asombroso como se puede ver un enemigo de proporciones sobrenaturales reducido a proporciones humanas al enfrentarlo, solo imaginen un enemigo que haga temblar a los vikingos, la pelicula es simplemente excelente, debio impatactante estar allí y ser testigo de los hechos. Desde el punto de vista histórico muestra otra faceta, la menos conodida y publicitada, es muy similar a la pelicula noruegas sobre las sagas vikingas, aqui de los temidos pueblos vikingos, aqui se muestran como mercaderes y guerreros pero sobre todo gente normal que vive de la tierra y el comercio y nos muestra lago de sus cosmología y tradiciones.
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Summary: A Severely Underrated Epic...
Review: The 13th Warrior is, without a doubt, the most underrated film of 1999 - and perhaps one of the most underrated of all time, for that matter. It came and went at the box office and has also received a lackluster DVD edition that includes very few interesting features. However, the film itself is top notch. It is a thinking man's action picture, a historical fantasy, an intriguing mystery, a Braveheart-style epic, and a brilliant retelling of Beowulf all at once. The plotline revolves around Antonio Banderas who portrays a refined but very exiled Arab courtier who by chance encounters a band of Vikings on their way to rid a King's lands of an evil that they will not name. Banderas is chosen to accompany them to the King's realm and assist them in their battle against this nightmarish enemy who feeds on the flesh of its vanquished foes. From there, this passionate and thrilling adventure begins. All of this is, of course, based on the novel "Eaters of the Dead," by Michael Crichton. Though the film adaptation and the novel part ways at several points, they are excellent companions to one another - not unlike Banderas and the Vikings. I recommend both novel and film equally and highly, and one only furthers the enjoyment of the other. The 13th Warrior is such an overwhelming experience that it racks up an amazingly lengthy list of praises. The cinematography is breath-taking and captures a mysterious, beautiful, and ancient landscape in a way that film seldom can; Jerry Goldsmith's score is rousing, inspiring, and very worthy of notation; Banderas and the film's other key players give wonderful and convincing performances; the battle sequences are first rate, as are the rest of the film's production values... The list goes on and on. Truly, the film's only weakness comes from the fact that sometimes it seems to presume that all those who are viewing it have read the book beforehand, and therefore gives less description to certain cases and places and things than it probably should. The pacing is somewhat quick and jerky near the beginning as well. None of this detracts all that much, though, from the resounding experience that is The 13th Warrior. The 13th Warrior belongs next to the likes of Gladiator, Braveheart, and Conan the Barbarian, and it is a crying shame that the movie seems to have drawn so little attention to itself. This is absolutely one of the best fantasy films ever made - and for those who do not like fantasy, it has all the makings of a "what-if?" war picture of epic proportions. This is a major motion picture achievement that demands your attention. John McTiernan and Michael Crichton deliver the goods, and then some.
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Summary: Lo...there do i see my father...
Review: Lo...there do i see my father...lo, there do i see my mother, sisters and brothers...lo.... a very good movie...and i am not even fond of antonio...there is humor...action...and interaction...go beyond the beginning and let yourself get involved...i think you will like it.
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Summary: Make it stop !
Review: Some people liked this?!? I liked Die Hard by the same director, but I can't find anything to recommend about this movie. What good is action without a plot? Who are these characters? Nothing was explained beyond the barest minimum. You have been warned....
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