Thirteenth Warrior
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The search for the Universal concept of man has existed ever since history began. Many theories have evolved ranging from those who believe man is in fact universal to those who state he is in fact individual; However, the question has yet to be answered. In todays most popualr medium, the "movies", this theme is quite recurrent. One such example is the 1999 movie "The Thirteenth Warrior", loosely based on the anglo-saxon epic poem "Beowulf". In this film two men, Ahmed and Buliwye, from different backrounds and religion find themselves facing a common enemy and a common path. These two men are parallel characters who must evolve beyond themselves and fullfill the idealic destiny of their cultures. By comparing and contrasting these characters to religious and cultural symbols it is possible to see how people from different worlds can have the same ideal hence proving that man can be universal.
This theme is very interesting and it has been vastly explored by mankind. Because of this it's intriguing to analize this theme in something as common place as the movie. In this particular case the movie takes a classical epic poem and converts it into something which is supposed to scare and keep audiences interested...