The 13th Warrior

The Vikings gets a gruesome makeover in this horror adventure from director John McTiernan, based on Michael Crichton's novel Eaters of the Dead. Antonio Banderas looks decidedly uncomfortable as a tenth-century Arab emissary abducted by Norsemen to fight barbaric cannibals who are terrorising their compatriots. How the Arab adapts to a totally alien culture and uncovers the secrets of the feared “spirits in the mist” makes for a visually arresting, if half-baked, saga, though the initially promising fantasy elements soon evaporate into a rather mundane reality. The film is never boring — there are numerous epic battle sequences and graphic scenes of slaughter — but it's not really that exciting either and shows clear signs of production difficulties. Crichton re-edited McTiernan's final cut, reducing Omar Sharif and Diane Venora's roles to virtually nothing despite their top billing. Jerry Goldsmith's marvellously stirring soundtrack is a major plus, however.

Rollicking and gory historical romp, of a kind not seen since The Vikings; despite its claims to be based on fact, it is not to be taken seriously.