A boring story against a mediocre backdrop

Rating: 4/10 (9 May 2007)

Unspectacular adventure film tries vainly to mimic successful traits of past explorer-type movies, though really has no script to back any of the budget up. Those that get excited and long for the glory days of action ala Conan and Indiana Jones may have little else to turn to these decades, but as the uneventful proceedings of the 13th Warrior show, one needs to have a driving sense of mystery in order to perpetuate the adventure.
This film has none of that. With a simple premise setting these 13 warriors off to counter an evil force, the uninspired screenplay simply brings viewers through the tired motions. Antonio Banderas, not as bad as I thought he would be here, can still hardly do anything to rescue this methodical homage to cinematic glory days of old. He plays The 13th Warrior, a foreigner who has been chosen to accompany a rogue group of vikings on their quest to seek out and destroy this evil presence.
And that, is basically as specific the will plot gets here. Banking on pricey set design and pseudo-spectacular battle sequences, the mediocre project fails because it does nothing to invest the viewer into what producers must have felt was priority here, making the entire journey feel like a few over-bloated set pieces with nary an explanation to hold the action together. Director John McTiernan, of Die Hard fame, is just not in his element here, and with careless editing, lackluster performances, and a shallow story from Michael Crichton, The 13th Warrior will be unnecessary to all but adventure film fanatics.