Jenny asked:

The 13th warrior? Is it based on this book?

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10 years ago
5 answers

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Adrian Johnson This was a brilliantly conceived and intelligent well-written book about what historical basis may have become the myth-saga of "Beowulf". An adventure quest, the book had serious themes: about cultural clashes, attitudes towards religion, and cross-cultural friendships; the nature of loyalty and courage.

Then it was turned into a simple-minded gore-fest B-film appealing to 16-25 year old males.

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Grant Yes, the 13th Warrior is the film version of this book.

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Suden Käpälä Yes. Even though the film doesn't address all the intricacies of this (short) book, I liked it more than enough enough to want to buy this book. I'm glad I saw the film; I don't think it's half as bad as it's made out to be. But to really enjoy it, perhaps one must really put in some effort to (want to) watch past the action and adventure parts, and delve into the underlying themes -- which takes some interpolation on the viewer's part. Arguably, that's not the purpose of these kinds of films; and that may have led to many people panning it. But, while finally reading it now (>2 decades after seeing the film), I'm surprised at how much of the novella's philosophies I remember from (my interpretation of) the film.
To me, the synergy between screen and paper here, seems to mirror that of (e.g.) Ender's Game; naturally, the experience of the novel is much more extensive, personal, and complete. However, given a fair chance -- and if the film can be seen as a companion work -- the film and book can append each other, to mutual benefit.

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