El guerrero nº 13

Antonio Banderas está perfecto para el papel del héroe medieval, la música de Jerry Goldsmith es fantásticamente monumental, y las escenas individuales (especialmente las de acción) también están rodadas muy decentemente. No les falta dinámica, atmósfera oscura y a veces dan escalofríos. La escena de las cuevas no tiene fallos. Pero todos estos momentos decentemente filmados están extrañamente remendados en un conjunto difícil de manejar y agujereado que resulta desconcertante. Supuestamente, esto se debe a Michael Crichton, cuyo contrato permitía al director interferir en la forma final de la película. Por ello, John McTiernan se enfadó y abandonó el proyecto antes de que estuviera terminado. El resultado, por tanto, no es de McTiernan, sino de Crichton. Y honestamente, no vale mucho. Es una pena. Podría haber sido una aventura rimbombante. (12.04.2002)

I can’t help it. Banderas is great in the role, the action scenes are good, suspenseful and imaginative, Goldsmith's music is gorgeous. The 13th Warrior scared and entertained me as a kid and it still does today. Above-par. (26.12.2009)

I may have watched the 13th Warrior too soon. Otherwise, I would have missed my most important banter motif of dragging knights across the floor, which would have been a huge shame for my parents. Jerry Goldsmith managed to successfully knock out all the Zimmers, Williamses and even the reigning Howard Shore with The Lord of the Rings. The film itself ended up several leagues worse, though, but even after all these years I don't have the feeling of downright frustration when watching it. Rather, it's just the shockingly untapped potential that, under different circumstances, could have led to the most epic Viking romp ever created. (19.12.2022)

I have to admit that in my day the film got to me, because I was just enjoying Viking black metal a lot, and just saying the name Odin or Valhalla made me emotional. With hindsight, I see mainly a film with a very interesting theme, but it has been completely buried by the illogical editing. Let the author of the original do it and it's a mess that he may understand, but the viewer can’t make sense of it. A little more and The 13th Warrior could have been a great adventure film from an exotic setting. This leaves a blurry mess with a good Banderas and some nice sequences. But as a whole, indescribably loose... Mr. Crichton, hold on to your pen!!! (01.02.2004)