The 13th Warrior vs. Beowulf The 13th Warrior and Beowulf have some very similar, yet very different aspects. They are both very unique works and an open mind should be kept when reading and watching both. In order to form a strong opinion, comparing and contrasting the true meaning and background of both the film and the epic is necessary. The director of The 13th Warrior, John McTiernan, did justice to the epic poem Beowulf by making his version of the story more realistic; however the main characters did not match up, there are still similarities among the leading roles in Beowulf and The 13th Warrior. Beowulf is a more heroic main character than Buliwyf due to his independence and leadership. In the poem Beowulf is viewed as a superhuman. He likes to fight battles by himself to prove to everyone how truly powerful he is. "No man swims in the sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine." (Beowulf lines 533-534). Beowulf is seen fighting monsters and slaying beasts. Beowulf's character in The 13th Warrior, Buliwyf, differs majorly from Beowulf. Buliwyf never once goes into a fight alone or even mentions that he would like to do so. Buliwyf just appears to be a normal person with no superhuman skills. Although Beowulf and Buliwyf have different leadership styles, they are both still shown respect by their peers. Ibn is very …show more content…
Fighting dragons and magical creatures is hard to imagine happening in real life, and it is also very hard to relate to. “...the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel…” (Beowulf 101-102). Beowulf kills monsters with his bare hands and swims underwater for an entire day. Situations such as that are very hard to relate to simply because they are not possible. From the beginning of the film, Ibn is growing and changing in ways that most people can relate to. Ibn is thrown into an unfamiliar setting and needs to adapt in order to