Disney's Disastrous Historical Flop With Antonio Banderas Deserves A Second Chance

In 1993, Steven Spielberg turned Michael Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park" into one of the biggest movies of all time, itself spawning even bigger money makers in the decades to come. In its wake, Hollywood rifled through Crichton's bibliography for another potential hit. Unfortunately, most were big flops, with the likes of "Sphere" and "Timeline" failing to live up to box office expectations. In 1999, Antonio Banderas starred in another poor-performing Crichton adaptation with the historical action-drama, "The 13th Warrior."

Based on Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead," "The 13th Warrior" was directed by John McTiernan, who helmed some of the best action movies of the '80s. In it, Banderas stars as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a real-life 10th century Muslim explorer who helped chronicle the peoples of the world along his travels across the globe. The film blends real-life with the legend of "Beowulf," with ibn Fadlan joining a legion of Viking warriors in their quest to defeat the Wendol, a group of bloodthirsty cannibals who can't be defeated without the aid of a mysterious 13th warrior.

The film was an unmitigated disaster financially while dividing critics and audiences. But similar to movies like "Braveheart" and "Gladiator," "The 13th Warrior" is a successful blend of history and action, with a dash of high-concept fantasy for good measure — and it deserves a watch for those looking for some spectacular, overlooked historical action.

Earning just north of $60 million at the box office, "The 13th Warrior" was nothing less than a massive flop, especially considering it didn't have much competition. But even before it released, the film's hope for financial success may have already been dead and buried. The production was plagued with problems, delays, and budget overruns that ballooned costs to a staggering $160 million — – similar to the massive-budgeted, fellow box office bomb "Waterworld" a few years earlier.

The first cut was screened for test audiences, where bad feedback led to the studio revamping the film with expensive reshoots that left many scenes on the cutting room floor. Further delays were caused by star Antonio Banderas's injury, while none other than Michael Crichton himself, whose had some experience behind the camera, was brought in as a second director. He helmed many of the reshot sequences, and rumor has it that he even forced his way into the editing room to "fix" the film's problems.

Despite all its troubles, "The 13th Warrior" may be one of Crichton's most underrated adaptations. Praised for its representation of a real-life Muslim figure often ignored in the history books, it's a thrill-a-minute action movie that, while not the best in its genre, delivers everything audiences seeking an epic historical drama could want.