Hey folks, Harry here with this report from Dubai on the recently released (there) THE 13TH WARRIOR or what should be called EATERS OF THE DEAD had Disney had any amount of coolness whatsoever. From the advance word I've heard this will be one of those films that some love and some love to hate, while still others merely forget it. I know many were really hoping for this to be a homerun, and personally I hope the film hits me right. I want to like it... but... we'll see.

Harry,

It feels strange, intimate even, calling you Harry when I only know you from reading your site. I live in Dubai in the Middle East and yesterday went to see "The 13th Warrior" which went on wide release here two days ago. I thought this might interest you because I didn't think this film had opened yet in the states. (BTW, wide is a relative term as there are only 8 cinemas here!!!)

I almost did not bother going to see it because, although I had read the book and quite liked it, I had heard that there were delays with the film and a fallout between McTiernan and Crichton. It felt like these problems did not bode well for a good movie.

Weellll....

I liked it. It was exciting, cinematic and interesting. It came across as kinda like Zulu with Norsemen. The battle scenes were gruesome without being overdone and the pacing of the movie, with the possible exception of a slightly slow start, was good. The film was given a very earthy look, with lots of mud and rain, as though the idea was to show a "real story".

I do not understand why there was rumoured fallout between the director and Micheal Crichton as I thought the story very closely followed the book. The only difference I noticed was in a slightly different ending, with the film eschewing the gross-out aspects of the book. I think this may have disappointed me as I was sorta preparing myself for it. I certainly thought this film was better than Entrapment that I had seen the day before. Especially nice was the use of Arabic phrasing in the movie in that when AB's character was showing a norseman that he can "draw sounds", he uses the phrase "There is no God but God and Mohammed is his prophet." There is also a neat transistion from Viking Speak to English that was reminiscent of The Hunt for Red October. (Yes, I know, also by Mctiernan.)

My only question was: Why was Antonio Banderas wearing so much eyeliner during the first 30 minutes?

Best Regards

Zube