The 13th Warrior

The 13th Warrior
by John McTiernan, Michael Crichton

The 13th Warrior
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DVD details

Actor: Antonio Banderas, Daniel Southern, Dennis Storh?i, Diane Venora, Vladimir Kulich
Director: John McTiernan, Michael Crichton
Brand: Disney
Writer: Michael Crichton
Producer: Andrew G. Vajna
Producer: Casey Grant
Producer: Ethan Dubrow
Writer: Warren Lewis
Writer: William Wisher Jr.
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-01-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Walt Disney Video

DVD Reviews of The 13th Warrior

DVD Review: Tries to be every sort of fantasy/adventure flick, ends up being none of them convincingly
Summary: 3 Stars

Never heard of this before watching it with a friend last night. Despite the obviously large amounts of money spent on the film, and a typically decent score by Goldsmith, we ended up laughing at the kitchen-sink feel of this film.

Crichton based his story on old folk legends, and McTiernan fills the film with almost every fantasy/action-film cliche extant. It's all here: the chase scenes, the sword battles, the wayward glance at the maiden, the flaming arrows, the ever-growing pile of corpses, the shot of the moon through the mist, etc etc. And it all starts feeling forced pretty early on.

Banderas looks like a GQ-cover refugee most of the time: his make-up is caked on, as is his eye-shadow, even during fight scenes. Other characters may get dirty (or rather clearly Hollywood-fake-dirty), but Antonio remains film-star pretty all the way, even under attack. It's hard to buy into an action film when it looks like an ad for underarm deodorant.

The "monsters" as such are uninspired. The dialogue is oft laughable. Banderas is not believable in this role, though his Viking counterparts do have their moments, and lift this film somewhat. But all in all it feels like a studio gave the Die Hard director many millions and told him to go to BC and shoot a film that looks like it's supposed to be in Northern Europe...but is obviously in BC. And oh yeah, throw in every cliche you can to pull in all the fans of those genres.

It was hard to feel in any of this film the magic x-factor that distinguishes a great or even very good movie, where every actor and every shot feels focused on moving the story towards its inevitable and thrilling climax (LOTR, Star Wars, etc etc). 13th Warrior felt instead like another over-budgeted and under-scripted Hollyweird film that was shot too long and ends up eviscerated by an editor who was just doing his job: cut this bird down to size before we all fall asleep watching Antonio's make-up shining in the midst of yet another battle.

Some may find this to be a masterpiece, but we laughed through most of it. There's a reason this didn't become a fantasy/adventure classic: it ain't one.

DVD Review: Good movie!!
Summary: 5 Stars

This was a good movie to the end. It was interesting on how the 13th warrior came to be. Two different societies of men came together for this movie. The 13th warrior was picked on from the beginning and learned to adapt to being with the group of Vikings. I loved this movie.

DVD Review: Crichton's Take on the Anglo-Saxon Cultural Epic Beowulf
Summary: 4 Stars

Yep, it is Beowulf to the bone, although the author was uncomfortable enough with the changed point of view to fictionalize the legend.
Forget the Seven Samuri/Magnificent Seven references--those are simply in the minds of the viewers who slept through the first three quarters of the film and didn't wake up until the cavalry attack.
This is a cultural epic with a bit of a twist, so we're stuck with the plot--only an illiterate would fault that. There are two other versions of the legend out on DVD now, including a cartoon take for you A D D victims out there.
Yeah, we need a director's cut--if only to supply the special features obviously needed to explain all of this.

DVD Review: Love this movie but...
Summary: 5 Stars

Like most of the reviews I'm disappointed about all the film that must have been left on the directors floor after the editing. But truly a great story and actors, characters each and every one of them. I cant wait for this to come out on BD (I've been through 3 SD versions, I'm on the "first to know" e-mail list for the BD) I just hope its a directors cut and an awesome transfer to BD 'cause this movie deserves it!!!

DVD Review: The 13th Warrior Review
Summary: 5 Stars

The 13th Warrior is a movie about a place that is being attacked by something that is devouring all living things in its path and nobody knows what it is. Some people think it is a pack of bears, but when they attack it they can't find any dead bodies. They have to have 13 warriors to combat it, says an old fortune-teller, so off they go to conquer the enemy! Well, it is very exciting and very differently done than other movies of its kind. Antonio Banderas is the 13th warrior, and his acting is very good in this movie. This is a suspenseful and exciting movie, one you might want to watch more than once to see everything. There seem to be references to Vikings and also Celts in this movie. It's a very interesting movie.

Description of The 13th Warrior

Antonio Banderas (THE MASK OF ZORRO) brings huge star power to an immensely thrilling action-adventure from the hit-making director of DIE HARD and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR! An exiled ambassador far from his homeland, Ahmed (Banderas) comes across a fierce band of warriors who are being attacked by ferocious creatures legendary for devouring all living things in their path! And when an old fortune-teller warns the combatants that they are doomed to failure without a 13th warrior, Ahmed is given no choice but to join their battle and help conquer the mysterious enemy! Suspenseful and endlessly exciting, this exhilarating hit is sure to thrill anyone who enjoys action on an epic scale!
What happened to The 13th Warrior? Directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), it's the tale of young Arab ambassador Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan (Antonio Banderas), who's vanquished from his homeland for loving the wrong woman. On his journeys he associates with a ragtag group of Vikings who are traveling back to their homeland to confront a nefarious threat that's cloaked in such superstition they're forbidden to speak its name. It is prophesied by a witch doctor that 13 warriors must confront the evil; however, the 13th chosen man must not come from the north. Suddenly Banderas is forced into the breach, somewhat against his will. More poet than battle-worn warrior, he must not only fight the aggressors but come to terms with the unfamiliar Norse culture. What follows is a vigorous and brutal adventure reminiscent of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Sumptuous and invigorating battle sequences fill the screen from beginning to end as the brave Norsemen battle insurmountable odds.

Sounds good. So why did this film, once known as the Eaters of the Dead, sit on studio shelves for two years? Presumably because of the thoughtless editing that trimmed down the film to its bare bones, crafting an actionfest out of an epic. It's not often that you crave for a movie to be longer, but The 13th Warrior could've benefited from fleshing out of its subplots and characters. On the surface it's good eye candy with some fine pulse-quickening moments, and Banderas and the accompanying cast turn in sympathetic performances, epitomizing camaraderie in the face of impending doom. However, if you're looking for a good thematic tale from the Dark Ages (akin to Braveheart), you may be disappointed. --Jeremy Storey

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