Fantastic!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Masterpiece!

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

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.

I always loved this film - there are so many levels to enjoy it on, from the most simplistic 'grab a sword and cut up the bad dude', to the very subtle and complex shifts of politics, personality and EVERYONE'S personal growth through cultural collision.I really love the scenes where he picks up the language over a long journey - simply through having a trained poet's and scholar's ear. And the scene directly afterward where Vladimir memorizes Antonio's writing - through his natural intelligence.And plenty of other scenes, both witty and entertaining for those with an eye for sub-text.I am also fond of bold men in bloody battles, and want to snatch up a sword myself in this fight - you can almost smell the blood and guts.Really very under-rated and one I watch at least once a year.

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!

Hollywood shud make more movies like this. Its a good solid action adventure from start to finish. Virtually stunning and set designs that transport the viewers back in time for 100 mins. This movie was extremely well done... Great cinematography, excellent casting, well written script, plenty of action, fantastic battle scenes and one helluva plot. It is a wonderful, erie, scary, and exciting Viking flick. Fans of CONAN THE BABARIAN/DESTROYER, shud definitely own a DVD or blu ray of this epic adventure flick. Very underrated film. A good adventure made better being based on the actual diary of the main character. Sadly the movie was not promoted enough. I remember seeing this when it first released in the theatre in 1999. Without watching any trailer or reading anything or any expectations, I entered the theatre for a late nite show. By GOD, was totally surprised n happy to catch it on big screen. The battle scenes are generally fantastic and exciting to watch and come at a pretty fast pace all the way through the movie. The final confrontation was kinda scary. Directed by McTiernan (Die hard 1 n 3, Predator). Excellent music by Jerry Goldsmith. Awesome cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr. (A time to kill, Clash of titans@2010, Killing season). Star cast- Vladimir Kulich (Equalizer, Iron clad, Smokin aces). as Buliwyf. Antonio Banderas as Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan. Omar Sharif as Melchisidek n other less known actors who did decent job. Jus a lil reminder. This epic flick was before Gladiator,Lord of the rings,Troy,Kingdom of heaven,King Arthur,the New clash of the titans n the New Conan.