* * *

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is an exciting tale of myth and magic, animated in beautiful Disney-style cell animation by Dreamscape.

After an exciting, action-packed opening, Sinbad (Brad Pitt) must go on a dangerous quest to Tantalus, the home of the mischievous goddess Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer), to save the life of his childhood friend, Proteus (Joseph Fiennes). Marina, who is betrothed to Proteus, goes along to help, but the sassy and sexy princess provides just one more way Sinbad can fail and betray his friend. What follows is a classic tale of magical adventure on the high seas, resplendent with dangerous islands and sea monsters. It is very reminiscent of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), the Ray Harryhausen classic. In fact, references to Harryhausen are liberally and lovingly sprinkled throughout the movie, in a fitting tribute to the all-time special-effects wizard.

As a long time fan of cartoons it was wonderful too see the old high-color, smooth-action, 2-D animation again. Yes, the 3-D Pixar-style computer animation is way cool too, but the old style really took me back to my youth, with Disney greats like Bambi and Sleeping Beauty. Of course, with the cost of cell-animation being so high now, it's unlikely that any modern movie could truly compare to the classics. But nevertheless, Sinbad is still technically very good.

Perhaps the studio realized the appeal this movie would have to adults, for that would certainly explain the PG rating and all the Harryhausen references. The movie attempts to appeal to a younger generation too, by using totally modern dialogue and casting box-office megastars as the voices. It also owes a lot to the X-games generation, with snowboarding, surfing, wake-boarding and several other X-sports sneaking in to the action sequences.
These action sequences are indeed this movie's high points. They are fast, they are exciting, and they are imaginative. The crisp animation pops off the screen and genuinely gets you to the edge of your seat. For this reason alone, this movie is worth watching. Any fan of old-time Disney or the Sinbad/Harryhausen classics will love it.

However, there are problems. The modern dialogue does not really work. It does not detract from the movie, but it does not help it either. Also, I am not a big fan of using stars as the main voices. Yes, they all did a good job of their roles, with the two female characterizations being particularly well done. But star voices do not have the same box office appeal as the stars themselves, and a few no-names could have done the voices just as well, for a lot less money. Then they could have afforded an extra action sequence to fill the dead space after the opening.

The movie is perhaps too true to the Disney mythos. Unfortunately, it owes more to the more recent formulaic movies, than the old-time originals. It follows the formula so well, that I kept expecting the characters to break out into song. The plot too is a mixed bag, owing as much too Greek mythology as it does to Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights. Not a bad thing, perhaps, but again symptomatic of the underlying problem.

If I was to come up with a single reason that this movie sank at the box-office, it is that it failed to define it's audience. It tries to appeal to both adults and children, and ends up satisfing neither. Much of its humor is too adult for a young audience, yet the plotting and overly-simplistic dialogue are better suited to children. Also, there is long section of character development between the first and second action sequences, which will send most youngsters (and some adults) to sleep. And while we are at it, this isn't Pokemon. I could have done without the totally-inappropriate animal pal. The villainess, Eris, is sexy and sultry, but she is just too nice. Sinbad has always been the confrontation between good and evil. The confrontation between good and very-naughty just does not cut it. What the movie needs is a real villain. Let's have some mayhem: some blood, some guts, some death and destruction.

So that's the story. Overall, Sinbad is worth about three stars. However, the action sequences are so well done, that I have to add another star. Saturday morning TV fans, Harryhausen affectionardoes and Disney lovers will enjoy it immensely. For the rest, it's a fun movie if you don't expect too much.

* * *

Rating:
While some of the humor may be over the head of youngsters and the movie has some adult overtones, I don't think it deserves its PG rating. Some of the monsters may scare very young kids, and some of the dialogue may bore others.

* * *

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Directed by Patrick Gilmore and Tim Johnson
Written by John Logan (screenplay)

Cast:
Brad Pitt .... Sinbad (voice)
Catherine Zeta-Jones .... Marina (voice)
Michelle Pfeiffer .... Eris (voice)
Joseph Fiennes .... Proteus (voice)

* * *


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8