The 13th Warrior (1999)
Set in the 10th century Antonio Banderas plays Ahmad ibn Fadlan who teams up with Volga Vikings in order to fight an ancient evil that attacks the Norsemen each night.
Based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead. Along with a stirring score from Jerry Goldsmith there's some fantastic imagery throughout this film, the fire snake as the creatures come down the hill and through the woods to attack the camp is one such sight. It's a film full of spectacle with the battles nicely crafted by director John McTiernan, but it's the none action scenes where the film lacks a little. There's basically not that much story there and characterisation is minimal during the early parts of the film where I tend to think it needs to be vital so you actually care what happens to whom. Having said that, Banderas gets some fun scenes such as how he explains how he learned the Norse language and his shaping of a new sword which produces much laughter from the Vikings watching.
Crichton's story takes much from the Beowulf poem so it comes as no surprise that the 'creatures' are the Wendol, and they are certainly fearsome, beheading all they come across and never leaving any of their dead during an attack so as to create even more hysteria. They are the most impressive aspect of the film and really add to it's horror trappings, especially when it becomes known they are cannibals.
The 13th Warrior is a film that never bores, in fact it's highly watchable and yet it's never truly gripping either. I thought this when I saw it at the cinema and the many times I've seen it on dvd as well. Good but not quite a classic. Still, it's the best Beowulf movie i've ever seen.
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