Positive, spoilers

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2000)

Awesome. Those who grumbled about the 13th warrior, such as many movie critics, kept me from seeing it on the big screen, and now I regret it. Having seen the gorgeous DVD edition, I was very impressed with this movie. What I don't understand is why so many people didn't like it.
But for now, anyway, I can snag the DVD and enjoy '13th warrior'. Only the beginning is a little rocky. As usual, a lot of plot has been condensed heavily--only McTeirnon decided to do it all at the beginning. I haven't read Crichton's 'Eaters of the Dead' (thank goodness they changed the title), but you can tell a lot of "book-to-movie" plot trimming went on. Once the Arab Ahmed and his barbaric buddies get to the task of dealing with the Wendol, however, the plot pace becomes more even, and you get a great adventure.
In case you are one of the few who didn't know, this story is a retelling of the old english poem Beowulf.
Critics moaned about the over-simple plot a lot. But considering the source material (which was VERY simplistic, but nonetheless exciting), I think Crichton did a fine job. He reinvented Grendel and his mother, and added a band of viking warriors, and an arab scholar to make the story more realistic. Not that that was necessary, but it gives everything a grittier feel.
Once you realize that Ahmed is not actually the 'hero' of the film, and you recognize the obvious inspiration from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai film, I think you will probably enjoy the movie tremendously, but I warn you there are a lot of things this movie doesn't have: It doesn't have any silly barbarian queens running around in cleavage revealing armor. It doesn't have a muscle bound hero that spouts cute one-liners. It doesn't have any modern sounding dialogue or obvious anachronisms, and it doesn't have any campy humor. It doesn't have a lot of 'hip' actors playing themselves in costume, in fact most of the actors are unknowns, adding to their authenticity.
What it does have is some utterly beautiful set pieces, and some heart stopping battles. The fights are bloody, but like Braveheart, the camera does not linger on the carnage very long. It has some cool undercurrents dealing with themes of fear, the nature of heroism, and some thoughts toward the harsh, brutal life of the Norsemen.