Review #8 - GORMAN LENNOX (3 septembre 1998)
Source : Dark Horizons
http://www.darkhorizons.com/reviews/test17a.htm#Eaters2

"There were all there tonight folks: Team "13th Warrior" included Michael Crichton, Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Roth, and Disney honcho Michael Eisner. Each mega mogul sat with their respective posse in polite distance of one another to watch the screening of the John McTiernan film. By their scattered seating, one could have seen that the following film was not made with all sails traveling in the same direction. THE 13TH WARRIOR was shown in a true work print: the movie is a long way from being finished. All the facets of post production have yet to be complete, and some justifiable reshoots seem in order. With that in mind, the following should not be judged as a final product. THE 13TH WARRIOR has an original premise that took me by surprise. About 1000 years ago, a traveling band of Arab aristocrats in Western Europe get caught up with some Vikings. Antonio Banderas and Omar Sharif play the young and old leaders who clash ways with the barbarous clan of Northmen. Banderas is initiated into a quest to relieve a Northern village from being pillaged from a man-eating entity called the eaters of the dead. As the 13th warrior, Banderas is a smaller more cerebral hero compared to his fellow Vikings. Though he is not the heart-filled fighter of the group, Banderas uses intellect and Arabian ingenuity to aid the fight against the "mysterious" enemy. With the premise in place, here comes the flaw. John McTiernan's direction is a great example of visually weak storytelling. Along with cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. (DIE HARD 3), the two shoot this BRAVEHEART-style piece in an MTV style that really inhibits the story's integrity. Furthermore, the film's attempt at natural lighting at night makes many early scenes confusing and strenuous to follow. An example of this is an innovative scene where the Viking language slowly comes to the understanding of the Arabic Banderas. The foreign tongues break in mid-sentence to plain English. Another huge flaw is the dialogue from William Wisher (T2 and JUDGE DREDD), the treatment and the narrative of the film by Crichton are fine but the first 15 minutes is filled with pointless voice-overs from Sharif. Like a Crichton novel, juicy bits of research take the place of moving the story or developing the characters. The film clearly does not write and execute to its full potential. In the interest of what THE 13TH WARRIOR could have been, I would like to say that Crichton handed the filmmakers a movie with major potential. The film has many references (BRAVEHEART and PREDATOR) in minimal form, but the film is more of a mythological-medieval version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Instead of dressing up a Western in different genre (SOLDIER), THE 13TH WARRIOR makes excellent strides in understanding the principles of Manhood and Mothers in Viking culture. As the film enters the best portion: the final third is best described as an adult version of a tribe playing Jedi. Banderas and the other very well cast manly men travel into the lair of the enemy. It should be said here that the "Eaters" are excellent and powerful villains--filled with Satanic and very dark significance. When the leader of the Men has to fight the singular host of the "Eaters," the audience roared to the power and depth Crichton and Co. made such a nasty bitch. The entire cave sequence alone gives the film validity and insight into the potential of the story. It really goes beyond Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung in the last portion. Though not nearly close to the rumored production costs, THE 13TH WARRIOR is a film that has the potential of being extraordinary. If they take extensive reshoots and hand the film over to Crichton, audiences should have an entertainment that is more adult than STAR WARS--not better, just more realistic. I imagine that making the film better is on the cards for Disney. They want to keep Crichton happy before work on AIRFRAME begins. Before the show, no one seemed more excited to see the film than Crichton. THE 13TH WARRIOR works very well as a concept because it is pure in its intention to value Men and Women of history in a very reverent way. There is no Freudian or Feminist nonsense in this film (except a weak minimal romance for Banderas that should be cut). Ultimately, THE 13TH WARRIOR needs to regain the backbone that McTiernan lost in his execution. If they gain the original story by next summer, look for the film to be a hit. But if Disney releases the film as it is, it is a shame for the filmmakers and filmgoers because an extraordinary film was delayed to waste to save and ultimately lose money. If Banderas keeps the same look of having a very short haircut for the next few months, that will be a good sign."