slightly disappointed..

Rating: 4/10 (24 February 2001)

This movie had many things going for it, but unfortunately it ultimately came up short.
As a screenplay adapted from Michael Crichton's "Eaters of the Dead," I had high hopes for the "13th Warrior." I'm a fan of the genre and the possibilities -- Viking warriors and mythology, monsters and fierce battles -- sounded good.
My biggest complaint is that I never felt a real connection to the characters, while the story moved along with somewhat of a disjointed feel to it.
Antonio Banderas is an Arab courtier and the 13th warrior, the one who an oracle says will help the Vikings save one of their villages from the man-eating creatures. It has somewhat of a "Magnificent Seven" feel to it, with the band of Viking warriors trying to come to the rescue of the village.
The battle sequences were impressive, as was much of the scenery.
The Viking warriors had potential, but their characters never seemed to develop, save for one or two. At the end of the movie, I vaguely remembered the name of only Banderas's character, and he wasn't especially compelling in the role.
Overall, the "13th Warrior" was a slight disappointment. It could have been much better, but seemed to gloss over parts of the stories that needed to be expanded on.