13th Warrior: an under-rated classic?!

Silentpony_v1legacy

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Jun 5, 2013
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Megalodon said:
Eh, don't care what people say I fucking love that film. Admittedly I'm heavily biased towards anything Viking, but I honestly struggle to find fault with the film, other than it could've been longer and developed more of the 13 than Bulveye, his small blond No.2 and Banderas (and I guess made names a tad more obvious so I'm not stuck with 'blond guy' as a descriptor). But otherwise, good banter, good action pieces, rising tension and satisfying finale, it's everything I want from a film of its genre.
That's actually a fair criticism. I didn't know more than three of their names until I used subtitles AND IMDB. And some of the 13 were real throw aways and most of them died poorly. I mean the grizzled old fuck with an axe(Olaf) for a hand dies first?! How lame is that?!
And the badass archer(Riffle) lets a Wendol gut him effortlessly for no reason.
They could have fleshed the characters out more and used them to better effect.
 

COMaestro

Vae Victis!
May 24, 2010
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I have always liked this movie and thought it was a wonderful rendition of the Beowulf story. Having read Eaters of the Dead in high school, I was already familiar with the overall story even if I didn't remember the particulars of the book. It's a classic in my eyes that I am always willing to put on, whether to watch or just as something in the background while I do something else.
 

fozzy360

I endorse Jurassic Park
Oct 20, 2009
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It's main problem is that it was edited to shit before release. Several plot threads are initiated but left unresolved, scenes are chopped down to fit a specific run time, lots of footage gets re-used, etc. It was kind of mess production wise, and it bears all the markings of a movie with something like a half hour to an hour left on the cutting room floor. Example; there's a sub-plot involving the king's son wanting to usurp the throne, which the warriors are able to stave off somehow, but the son, so far as I can recall, never enters into the main plot again. Another example, the romantic subplot between Banderas (I'm terrible with remembering character names) and one of the village women is lightly touched upon but never properly resolved. It just ended up being a movie that felt cut to ribbons.

Mind you, I like it as well, in large part to the performances, that warrior-brother mentality, the gore, the score (RIP Goldsmith), but it's hard calling it good in the traditional sense. I think it's more a testament to McTiernan's ability to make entertaining movies that The 13th Warrior was still enjoyable.
 

Jark212

Certified Deviant
Jul 17, 2008
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YES!!! I'm surprised to see this movie mentioned here. The 13th Warrior is one of my favorite movies, I used to watch it all the time with my dad when I was younger, I consider it one of the ultimate "bro bonding" films...

Also cavemen and fire serpents...
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

Alleged Feather-Rustler
Jun 5, 2013
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fozzy360 said:
Yeah I always wondered about that. Was there just a lot of post production problems? People demanding specific run times and the like? It does seem like a good 3rd of the movie was cut.
 

Imperioratorex Caprae

Henchgoat Emperor
May 15, 2010
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beastro said:
This actually hit me a week ago when watch Ronin and its car chases. Sure they are as spectacular as some made since then, but as you watch them the sheer fact that you know they're real starts making them tense, because even if it is a movie, you know that real people put themselves in danger to make them - somehow, someway real drama was injected into the movie.
I've always held that Ronin's car chase sequences were, absolutely, the best I've ever seen done on the big screen. Well timed, edited, choreographed and filmed... its sheer tension, at its best you've got that right.
I love Ronin though so I may be biased.

OT: The 13th Warrior. Great movie for its time and I liked how they conveyed less through exposition and more through the visual. Someone mentioned the scene where Antonio Banderas' character (which since he's a Spaniard and probably has Moorish ancestors is somewhat accurate of a casting) learns the northmen's language over the fire. Its a montage without the cheesy 80's music of him, over a lengthy period of travel, hearing the words used and discerning their meaning through use. Its perfectly possible to do so, and I thought they did wonderfully conveying this, in both that it shows him willing to be part of this quest, and properly bonds with the aesthetic of the outsider becoming a brother to people from a distant land.
Its an interesting tale, and well done IMO. Its cheesy at a few points but overall I thought it made a great watch... especially the duel between the two northmen. Shieldbreaking? Bah, who needs a shield.
 

Ihateregistering1

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Mar 30, 2011
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I actually do remember liking this movie a lot more the 2nd time I watched it, though admittedly I was on sort of a Viking kick during the time so I'm sure that influenced it.

Still, it was also sort of a let-down considering it was the same director who did Die Hard and Predator, I expected a lot better.
 

crimson5pheonix

It took 6 months to read my title.
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Jun 6, 2008
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I liked it, silliness aside. It makes for a great metaphor for Beowulf.
 

flying_whimsy

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Dec 2, 2009
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I'm not sure I'd call it a classic (the main character was a little too flawless to really be interesting), but it makes a good thematic companion piece for the recent Hercules movie that featured the Rock.

For both movies the 'what a twist' involving the nature of the enemies made both movies worse for it. A mundane twist only works well in horror movies.
 

Sonicron

Do the buttwalk!
Mar 11, 2009
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Not sure if it qualifies as a 'classic', but I always liked this movie. The costumes are far, far, FAR removed from anything resembling authenticity, but the obvious enthusiasm of the acting cast makes up for that, and it results in top notch atmosphere. All in all, The 13th Warrior is just a really fun movie.
I think I'm going to go watch it again right now.