02 July 2009

The 13th Warrior, 1999

For some reason, I had been wanting to see this film. I could have gone without.

I was first put off by the bad contrast - the night-time scenes have shadows that are way too strong and too prevalent. Perhaps a product of 1999 cameras? Next, I did not buy Banderas's rendition of an Muslim ambassador - the guy has a Spanish accent for crying out load. =) The cover of the movie makes him out to be this serious kick-ass dude, but for a large part of the movie, his voice seems way too childish, cannot hold a decent broadsword and "cries like a woman". And storywise, his character really did not do much at all.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts was the thoughtful transition from the Viking language to English; it showed intelligence and purposefulness. And.... that's about it.

The action shots were quite lackluster, especially the final battle. Wow. In some shots, it almost looked like someone was throwing a bucket of red liquid around - very unbelievable. And the showdown between the two "leaders" was pathetic.

I did not understand the Bear people at all. How is it that they have thrived so well and unnoticed? I mean, a legend has sprung up about a "serpent of fire" - that does not happen overnight. And they have basically sequestered themselves into a rocky ravine and cave like a hive of wasps (they even have a queen mother).

Bad entertainment.

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