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Reviews27
Collins's rating
With a movie like "The 13th Warrior", all the elements must work or else the whole thing falls apart. Luckily, following in the recent trend of high-quality movie-making, this film holds together well enough to be both entertaining and unique within it's genre. (Which is, I might add, a genre of "Braveheart"'s and "First Knight"'s that I could, as a whole, do without.)
Though he's excellent in the film -- his first real bit of acting in a long time -- that Spanish-American actor who's name I will not speak here is not the star of "The 13th Warrior". It should remain that way. Not that I don't like ol' A.B. but I don't know if he's got what it takes to carry an entire film alone. Here he doesn't have to worry about that because he's got such an outstanding screenplay to fall back on.
What makes the script so remarkable, you ask?
Well, it takes a rather trite idea and makes it, somehow, into a fresh, new kind of vision. In closing, from someone who doesn't even like these kinds of films, I have to say this was a very, very, very good job, guys.
Though he's excellent in the film -- his first real bit of acting in a long time -- that Spanish-American actor who's name I will not speak here is not the star of "The 13th Warrior". It should remain that way. Not that I don't like ol' A.B. but I don't know if he's got what it takes to carry an entire film alone. Here he doesn't have to worry about that because he's got such an outstanding screenplay to fall back on.
What makes the script so remarkable, you ask?
Well, it takes a rather trite idea and makes it, somehow, into a fresh, new kind of vision. In closing, from someone who doesn't even like these kinds of films, I have to say this was a very, very, very good job, guys.
"Very Bad Things" is another film in the recent push-it-over-the-top-and-then-some trend. The drug-snorting teens in "The Faculty" and the sperm-turned-hair-gel in "There's Something About Mary" are a couple of other good examples of this highly refreshing (and often funny) new breed of movie.
Sure, it kind of falls apart nearer the end and, yeah, that climax is way to far over-the-edge for a lot of people (I'm one of them) but the film itself was a nice yet bloody, neat yet jagged, nerve-wrecking and car-wrecking hour-and-a-half of screaming, pull-out-your-hair fun.
By the way, Christian Slater CAN act! Was anybody thinking of his action figure-friendly turn in "Broken Arrow" or his Mickey and Mallory-wannabe hippy role in "True Romance" as they watched this guy weazel his way through this flick? If so, you're the first.
By in large, this is a creative look at a trite concept and, if you wanna pay the rental fee, you should at least give it a whirl around the block. Couldn't hurt.
Sure, it kind of falls apart nearer the end and, yeah, that climax is way to far over-the-edge for a lot of people (I'm one of them) but the film itself was a nice yet bloody, neat yet jagged, nerve-wrecking and car-wrecking hour-and-a-half of screaming, pull-out-your-hair fun.
By the way, Christian Slater CAN act! Was anybody thinking of his action figure-friendly turn in "Broken Arrow" or his Mickey and Mallory-wannabe hippy role in "True Romance" as they watched this guy weazel his way through this flick? If so, you're the first.
By in large, this is a creative look at a trite concept and, if you wanna pay the rental fee, you should at least give it a whirl around the block. Couldn't hurt.
At least "I Know What You Did Last Summer" had some wit and real humor and character despite the simple fact that it was horribly transparent in it's genre. Now, take that and subtract the wit, the humor, and....uh, well, the character and you get this mess: "I STILL Know What You Did Last Summer." (Oooo...the horror.)
Jennifer Love-Hewitt's acting has never been flatter. Brandy has never sounded so much like a third grader pretending to be an actress. And a script has never before been....well, just this BAD!!! It's amazing how much you miss Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Kevin Williamson when they're not around, you know. As some kind of strange recoup, the story tries throwing in all the usual sexual babble. After a while though, you just finally come to the realization that, in fact, these characters are nothing but horny. They are trite carbon copies of the "Porky's" kids. Really, does Hollywood actually think teens are THAT shallow?!! From other recent, better, fare I was beginning to think not, but now that I've seen this I'm honestly starting to wonder.
Oh, well.
No more, please, Mister Fisherman. You've come back a second time and, for some reason unknown to me, killed a bunch of innocent people on an island. I was led to believe that you actually just wanted revenge for that whole running-you-over-and-then-dumping-you thing but I guess you're just another mindless slasher after all. Well, there's no room for you in the '90s, pal. Go find some "Friday the 13th" film to haunt.
Jennifer Love-Hewitt's acting has never been flatter. Brandy has never sounded so much like a third grader pretending to be an actress. And a script has never before been....well, just this BAD!!! It's amazing how much you miss Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Kevin Williamson when they're not around, you know. As some kind of strange recoup, the story tries throwing in all the usual sexual babble. After a while though, you just finally come to the realization that, in fact, these characters are nothing but horny. They are trite carbon copies of the "Porky's" kids. Really, does Hollywood actually think teens are THAT shallow?!! From other recent, better, fare I was beginning to think not, but now that I've seen this I'm honestly starting to wonder.
Oh, well.
No more, please, Mister Fisherman. You've come back a second time and, for some reason unknown to me, killed a bunch of innocent people on an island. I was led to believe that you actually just wanted revenge for that whole running-you-over-and-then-dumping-you thing but I guess you're just another mindless slasher after all. Well, there's no room for you in the '90s, pal. Go find some "Friday the 13th" film to haunt.