The 13th Warrior - movie review

-


It has been more than 20 years since the theatrical release of this movie and every now and then, I will take my DVD out of it's box for another viewing. Each time, I still wonder why it was not a box office hit (it costs thrice or four times what it made)..

It's a Micheal Crichton book adaption, done on a challenge as to whether he could make an interesting story out of a folklore tale of the Beowolf. He does spin a marvellous yarn that incorporates the traditional folklore, along with elements of the "Dirty Dozen", and bit of culture mixup and good doses of action with lots of thrills and spills.

So a Muslim scholar type gets sent to Scandinavia and  ends up fighting man eating bear like creatures, fighting against the odds against evil. Antonio Banderas is wonderful as the scholar turned warrior, whilst Vladimir Kulich plays the charismatic leader of the baker's dozen to good effect.

If you haven't not seen it before, go ahead and grab that DVD, yeah, I said DVD, because sadly, there has yet to be a Blu Ray release. The surround effects are decent, real deep bass may be lacking, but the plot and the amount of male testosterone on display makes up for it. Bravado galore!

Recommended.

What an ending scene!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KEF LS 50 Meta review and comparison with the LS50

-
Image
The original KEF LS50 was one of those landmark speakers, a pocket rocket which performed at a much higher level than what it’s price tag might indicate. The original LS50 has been widely reviewed, and is well regarded by audiophiles everywhere.  However it does have some bite in the treble and lacks some deep bass, and works better for music which does not go too deep or with a sub to reinforce the bass. But what it does have is fabulous imaging, which allows you to how off great soundstaging, depth, and definition. If you are into details, you’ll love them. The coaxial design is also wonderful for those who sit a bit off axis. The construction is a marvel in itself and with a modern design, a beautiful gloss finish and a quality build. No wonder it’s loved by music lovers the world over. Now recently KEF has introduced the new KEF Meta. This is an updated version of the original and whilst it can look deceivingly the same, there are significant differences. First a link to the of...
Read more

Dynaudio Heritage Special Speaker Review

-
Image
Dynaudio is a company that has been in the speaker business for more than forty years and prides itself on making most of its components in house, especially the drivers and most of the cabinetry. Through the years they have developed many beloved components for their top end products and have also distilled them down to the masses whenever they launch a special edition. So they have adopted a similar format and take some of their finest drivers, an Esotar 3 tweeter and a woofer derived from the Evidence range and placed them into a more traditional walnut veneer speaker for us to sample.  Thus the Heritage Special (HS) was born. The catch ? Well there are two.. firstly it’s by no means cheap, even though it uses choice components. Second there are only 2500 pairs so if you’re waiting to get one, don’t ! And that’s the sum of my review if you may. If you’re a Dynaudio afficiando, just plonk down the deposit that had planned for the annual summer holiday and get this instead. Now re...
Read more

Haiku fan review II - Mounting a Fan and Using more than one Fan

-
Image
A long long time ago, you had but a handful of choice of fans, and well, they mostly looked the same. The luxury fan market was almost non existent and then Haiku came along and all that changed. My original review is linked here:  Haiku fan review - how to choose a fan Since then, things have moved on and now we are into the fourth generation of the Haiku fan, or fifth if you count the more budget orientated version as well.  Well let's mention what is still present first. The cool, sleek design is still here. And you get both composite ABS blades, as well as bamboo options. It is still a DC motor, with the attendant energy savings, and the silent motor. But most importantly for most buyers, it still looks good. So what is new?  The size options have increased, from 52", 60" and now 84". You still get the option of a longer stalk for higher ceilings, but the longer mount  which extends from 40 to 70 cm comes with a rather bulbous base, instead of t...
Read more