Some cinema flops are so hair-raisingly brutal that they remain a mystery to this day. One of the most notorious examples is celebrating its 25th anniversary today: On August 27, 1999, the adventure spectacle The 13th Warrior for the first time in regular cinemas.
The adventure film The 13th Warrior is considered one of the biggest flops in film history
The action blockbuster, in which a traveler (Antonio Banderas) and a Viking troop are supposed to free a village from cannibals, should have been a gigantic hit by all indications.
Watch the trailer for The 13th Warrior here:
The 13th Warrior – Trailer (German)
The original was written by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, and Die Hard maker John McTiernan directed. Lead actor Banderas had the hit The Mask of Zorro behind him. Instead, according to Screen Rant, the film lost an unimaginable $227 million and became one of the biggest flops in film history.
What went wrong?
The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas failed because of this
In the first 18 seconds one can already guess the biggest flaw of the film, as Collider also notes: In the opening credits, The 13th Warrior is described as a “Crichton/McTiernan production” The inconspicuous wording already hints at the two opposing visions that tore the film apart at the end.
The 13th Warrior revolves around the Arab exile Ahmad Ibn Fadlan (Banderas), who meets the Viking Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich) and his companions on the banks of the Volga. Buliwyf is looking for a thirteenth warrior to protect an unprotected village from a mysterious pack of cannibals. Beware of spoilers!
The original director left the film frustrated
Anyone who has seen the film cannot help but get the impression that there are two hearts beating in one chest. The action scenes are masterfully staged, the look of the film is at times extremely atmospheric and visually powerful. And all of this just to be followed shortly afterwards by confusing camera movements and bizarre story twists to be destroyed. Why?
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Antonio Banderas in The 13th Warrior
As Collider reports, McTiernan left the production before the film’s release. The reason was allegedly catastrophic test demonstrations and an extremely over-budget. Original author Michael Crichton supervised subsequent filming. But his ideas were difficult to reconcile with those of his predecessor.
An elaborate sequence in which Fadlan learns the Viking language is followed shortly afterwards by a storyline about power struggles in the village hierarchy, which is over after ten minutes and has no relevance to the overarching plot. But that is nothing compared to the unbelievable finale.
The 13th Warrior has two endings
Apparently the production of The 13th Warrior was so schizophrenic that the adventure spectacle had two endings. The Vikings put an end to the cruel threat, but Buliwyf is fatally poisoned in the process, thus marring the great victory. A bittersweet finale that pays respect to the epic source of the Beowulf myth.
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Fadlan (Banderas) and Buliwyf (Kulich) in The 13th Warrior
But that was obviously not enough for Crichton: the moment of tragedy is followed by a last, unnecessary action sequence which is over again within a few seconds. It seems as if the author tried to extract the last bit of blockbuster appeal from what is actually a dark and poetic work.
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The final ratings and box office results were accordingly, as suggested by Metacritic (average rating 42 out of 100 points), Rotten Tomatoes (only 33 percent on the Tomatometer) and The Numbers (US$62 million box office on a US$125 million budget without marketing costs).
But is The 13th Warrior really such a flop?
Epic adventure action: How good is the 13th Warrior really?
In the end, it is up to the viewers to form their own opinion. The film has enough potential to be considered a cult classic by many film fans. The reason for this is, among other things, the magnificent performances of Banderas, Kulich and acting legend Omar Sharif. extremely gripping action scenessome really good scary moments and at times impressive imagery.
The 13th Warrior is like expensive porcelain that someone has glued together with careless hands. Bewitchingly beautiful moments alternate with irritating cracks in the story and look. Nevertheless, or perhaps precisely because of this, the film remains absolutely unique even after 25 years.
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