Not a pure horror movie per se, but it has some horror elements to it that make the story a bit creepy, add some great battles with plenty of carnage, and some of the baddest Vikings this side of Valhalla, and you've got the formula for one of my all time favorite movies. So, if I had to classify this one, it would be a full on Viking testosterone fest with some cannibal beasties and plenty of gore thrown in. How's that for a sub-genre?

Antonio Banderas (who I usually don't care much for) plays Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad (whew!) an Arabian poet who was banished from his homeland and assigned the duties of ambassador to the Northlands, solely because he had eyes for the beautiful wife of a Sultan type.

Not long after he is cast out of his homeland, he comes across a band of Vikings in the middle of a funeral for their king (looks more like a party), soon a young boy appears and tells of an ancient evil a "terror that has no name - that must not be named." Soon an old oracle shows up and calls for 13 men to battle this evil, 12 of the Vikings step up to the task, and the 13th man must not be a man of the "North" therefore Ahmed (Banderas) is reluctantly recruited to be the "13th Warrior." At the beginning of the quest, many of the warriors are skeptical about the truth behind any ancient stories of this untold evil. But soon, they realize what they are really up against when they make a grisly discovery at a nearby farming camp, where they find what’s left of the victims that appear to have been “gnawed upon.”

I don't want to go into too much detail, as this is a movie that must be watched, so me hashing out the story here would be blasphemous (and would probably tick Paynecraft off as well!)

What I will say though is that to me, this is so much more than a movie about a band of Vikings setting out to battle a bunch of cannibalistic creatures. This is a movie about the Viking spirit, and how they were a great race with a tremendous outlook on life. The Vikings believed that their fate was “fixed” and that the only thing they could do was at least be brave in battle so that when they die, they go to Valhalla to live for eternity.

So much of what makes this movie great is the dialog between Ahmed and Herger. You see, Herger always seems to put a positive spin on just about everything, for example, at the beginning of a battle, it starts to rain, and Herger simply mutters “Well, we don’t have to worry about fire now..” So matter-of-fact as well. Beyond Herger’s quotes is a “poem” of sorts that the Vikings say at the beginning and end of the movie, and it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it, I just think it’s so cool.

'Lo, there do I see my father 'lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. 'Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning 'lo, they do call to me, they bid me to take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla where the brave may live forever.

Some of the story points are left hanging, I couldn’t help but think that there was a good amount of story that got left on the cutting room floor, in particular is a sub-plot involving a king’s son, it felt like I was missing something, or maybe it was just an underdeveloped part of the story that was never meant to go anywhere. Add to this a lack of character development (they’re Vikings, that’s all the development I need) but some people need to know EVERY little nuance about every character to be satisfied. These shortcomings however had little to no effect on the overall movie experience for me.

Great story, outstanding acting, epic battles (and plenty of them), and a good amount of gore. Highly recommended!

9.5 out of 10 Wendol

What can I say? Probably my most favorite movie of all time. From beginning to end it kicks ass. The last 20 minutes of the movie is probably some of the greatest cinematic drama you will see in an action/adventure/horror movie.

What's also neat about this movie is that, apart from Banderas and Omar Sharif, you have no idea who the hell these people are. It adds to the authenticity of the movie.

On a cheesy note, I had the Viking Prayer that you hear on the movie in my walkman when I ran the half marathon 2 weeks ago. I used it to get extra energy out of me when I needed it. It's that good. You have to watch the movie to appreciate it more though.

I also loved the whole concept that the Vikings' fate was fixed. It led to some pretty good philosophy on life and some asskicking battles. Imagine going into a battle with no fear, because you are at peace with the result of it, even though you don't know what it will be. No wonder they kicked ass.

I agree with Flames about the story of the King's Son. It would have been neat to see a little more of that.

I'm not sure what else to say. Flames did a great review and covered alot of the stuff.

This movie is to Banderas like what Butterfly Effect is to Kutcher. No matter what your opinion on either of these actors are, you will have a new respect for them once you are done watching the movie.

Anyway, of course I give this movie 10 out of 10 engineering disputes.