The 13th Warrior: Antonio Banderas Bomb Becomes Prime Video Hit

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Despite initially failing at the box office, Antonio Banderas’ historical adventure film, The 13th Warrior, is now finding success on streaming. It’s currently a top 10 title on the platform, and recently reached number six.

I’m a big fan of The 13th Warrior! It’s based on the old story of Beowulf, but it’s not a straight retelling. The filmmakers took the basic idea of the legend and blended it with a real historical account – the writings of Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who actually traveled with Vikings along the Volga River. They traded the magical parts of Beowulf for a more realistic, gritty feel based on what ibn Fadlan wrote about his experiences.

Antonio Banderas stars in The 13th Warrior as the character Fadlan (also known as Ahmed ibn Fahdlan). The film was directed by John McTiernan, known for directing classics like Predator and Die Hard. Although it received negative reviews and didn’t perform well in theaters when it came out in 1999, it has since become a cult favorite, which might be why it’s currently popular on Prime Video.

As a film buff, I always felt bad about The 13th Warrior. It was a huge production – reports say it cost anywhere from $85 to $160 million to make! Sadly, it only earned about $61.7 million at the box office. It was a real flop, and honestly, it seemed to mark the beginning of the end for director John McTiernan’s Hollywood career, especially when you factor in some legal troubles he faced later on.

Critics weren’t much kinder to The 13th Warrior. It currently has a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many acknowledging its impressive atmosphere, sets, and costumes, but criticizing its weak storyline. Despite this, several prominent critics were fans; the Village Voice described it as a solid, if unoriginal, action film, while Entertainment Weekly hailed it as a surprisingly bold, exciting, and imaginative adventure thriller.

While opinions among fans are mixed, they tend to like the movie more than professional critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, viewers gave The 13th Warrior a 66% rating, with some praising it as a “legendary masterpiece” and criticizing the negative reviews as being overly harsh.

The 13th Warrior Finds Streaming Redemption

The movie The 13th Warrior tells the story of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan (played by Antonio Banderas), an Arab diplomat who travels with a group of Vikings in 922 AD. They journey to the harsh North to fight a terrifying enemy that is killing and eating Vikings.

John McTiernan directed the film The 13th Warrior, based on a script by William Wisher Jr. and Warren Lewis. Antonio Banderas leads the cast, which also includes Diane Venora and the renowned Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. Reportedly, Sharif was so unhappy with the film that he temporarily retired from acting.

After having a small part in ‘The 13th Warrior,’ I decided I needed to stop taking roles just for the money. I realized that unless a truly amazing project came along – something I was passionate about and excited to work on – I was going to quit acting. Being in bad films was incredibly embarrassing and made me feel awful. It was terrifying to have to read terrible lines from a bad script, especially when working with an incompetent director on a film that wasn’t worth making.

You can judge the movie for yourself. The 13th Warrior is streaming now on Prime Video.

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2026-02-12 03:17