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Let's be realistic.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I'm watching this movie right now, and I remember seeing it in the theatre years ago. Its such a good movie, the characters are so well cast and the look and feel is so genuine. This is one of those movies that bad word of mouth prior to its actual release really affected the box office. The critics got it wrong unfortunately and I often wonder if it was due to wanting to knock Michael Crichton down a peg rather than their actual view of the film. The suspense is real, the enemy scary, and the peril palpable. Its a guys movie to be sure, even in the movie the female roles are subservient, so I wouldn't choose it for movie night. But on a rainy afternoon with nothing to do, put it on and you will find it entertaining to be sure.

This is one of the most underrated fantasy/action movies I've encountered. It has a great story with depth and historical accuracy underneath the gritty fantasy elements. The score is absolutely fantastic, one of the most epic I've ever experienced in a movie.Good pacing leaves this movie with little to no boring moments and even the talks-y scenes seem to have a constant suspense and makes you want to hear every word. The fights are fantastic, bloody and will make you clinch your hands. The adversaries are well written and you're often unsure about your thoughts about the nature of these beasts.I do wish they expanded and developed the love aspect a little bit more to flesh out the character of the main character. As it is it feels shoehorned in there like it was edited in at the last minute. I would have also preferred a non-existent love affair over the one in the movie.I have not read the book this is based off (Eaters of the dead) but the movie is most likely inspired by the Japanese classic "Seven Samurai", not enough to make it seem like a copy, but enough that if you've seen both you'll see the connection for sure.In all: Very good movie, entertaining and dark and gritty, you'll find your hands sweaty and your eyes not blinking during some parts of the movie and if you enjoyed shows like Vikings, King Arthur, 300, and even films such as Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, and The Last Samurai, you might very well like this one. Give it a shot despite the scores and keep in mind it might not have aged exceptionally but it's got that 90s charm.Expanding a little bit:A lot of Norse mythology went into this movie of course, it being inspired by the story of Beowulf, but I would have loved to see some other references in there. Though if you are Nordic you might recognize a word hear and there when the Norsemen speak their language, as it is based on old Norse which is a sort of mixture of Norwegian, Swedish and other Nordic/Germanic languages. The scene with the oracle is particularly interesting, if you can find a translation to what they're saying I'd love to read it. You can hear her making references to Valkyries (angels of death carrying away fallen warriors to Valhalla) to guide her in the ritual.

The 13th Warrior is a conflicted film of jaw dropping set pieces, profound detail, & stunning cinematography, which has a "lets fight the savages" story & a "Don't talk; fight" narrative. The men are too tough for tears, the women too scarce for encouragement & strength, the children are just props & the meaning is lost upon the project as though any soul would dirty the film. I can't believe so much money would be ploughed into a film without a solid script first! So much effort was clearly & painstakingly put into every frame of these frenetic battle sequences. And yet the shots are kept deliberately low which creates an even more uninspired experience than that purloined from the script itself! There is an appreciation to realism not found in Hollywood or any surviving studios who may have the kind of money to make films of this disappearing & under-appreciated genre, which makes it all the more disappointing. If only this demonstrated the level of love both men & women had for each other, it may translate to the passions adverse to love on the battlefield.Little effort is made to define the geography of this battleground either. I presume they are Greeks? As they were speaking the Greek tongue at the start of the film, but then what origins are the natives from? To make things worse, the Arab isn't even played … BY AN ARAB!! I hate how there is always an absence of darker skinned cast members in film. Bruce Lee had a vision where peoples of ALL cultural background worked together, but this seems to be lost upon both studios & audiences now. It's so embarrassing to have to watch hour after hour.. film after film of passive racist predilection.Anyway, it has moments of strategy but don't expect much more. This came & went like the weather seemed to do so in this flick! A wasted opportunity!

I feel like John Mctiernan's The 13th Warrior doesn't deserve the bum rap it's acquired over the years. Sure it was a flop, sure it has a few clunky parts near the beginning, but for the most part it's a visceral, rousing Nordic adventure flick that's guaranteed entertainment all the way, unless you're a wretched nitpicker. On the list of films about Viking warriors fighting some kind of barbaric enemy against gorgeously shot landscapes (that are all British Columbia no less!) it comes out a winner. Antonio Banderas plays an Arabian (yeah, yeah he's a Spaniard, deal with it) poet with an utterly unpronounceable name who is banished to explore new lands with a companion (Omar Sharif in an all too brief cameo) and attain knowledge from other people. He takes up with a rowdy Viking band, led by the kingly Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich), who are summoned to their distant homeland to contend with a vicious threat that is attacking their villages. It being their custom to bring along one warrior who is not of their kind, they bring Banderas with them and venture home. The cinematography in their land is breathtaking, as Mctiernan uses a smoke machine in overdrive to give the hills, trees and meadows an ancient, ethereal look. They discover the menace that looms over their land is a primitive tribe of savages, and engage in spectacular battle against them. There's several sequences that shine in particular and will give your TV a workout, including a blood spattered, hazy opening battle and a wicked siege in a subterranean cave. Banderas always makes a stalwart protagonist, whether he's brash and cocky (The Mask Of Zorro) or moody and stoic (Desperado). Here he brings a wonderful naivety that's very unlike him, and uses the eventual horror and ghostly events of his character's journey to burnish his arc nicely to a point where his eventual combat scenes feel earned, having both weight and consequence. The Viking tribesman are all played with blue eyed ferocity by a tireless troupe, with especially fine work from Dennis Storhøi as Joyous, an incredibly brave warrior who Banderas finds a relatable kinship with. The years have somewhat buried the memory of this one, but it still stands as a stirring action epic with photography that is kind to the eye, combat scenes that lay the hammer down considerably in the violence department, and a story that vaguely mirrors the timeless Beowulf while adding its own dash of bloody adventure.