27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Fantastic!, June 26, 2003
I had the good fortune to be invited to a premiere of this movie in New York, and it was FABULOUS! The audience was packed with people of all ages, and everyone had a great time. And how could they not? The movie has something for everyone! Fun, adventure, phenomenal graphic artistry, romance, humor, and a bouyant spirit! The characters are also brilliantly brought to life by the actors. I never would have thought of Brad Pitt as Sinbad, but he gives such a goregeous rough-voiced humor to this pirate that you can't help but love him. Catherine Zeta-Jones is perfect as the fiercely passionate Marina, Joseph Fiennes gives a heroic nobility to Prince Proteus, and Michelle Pheiffer is deliciously wicked as the goddess of chaos, Eris. The crew is also fantastically lovable and deserves high praise. Go see this film! You won't be disappointed! I can't wait to see it again!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular Animation!, July 21, 2004
I am a huge fan of any craft that demands exceptional talent and requires painstaking patience (neither trait exhibited by me, incidentally). Having said that, I don't care all that much for the computer-generated images of "Shrek" or "Nemo"; to me, it doesn't have the look of actual "animation." So you could have knocked me over with a feather when I stumbled across the little jewel SINBAD--LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS, a film that apparently disappointed during its theatrical release, yet a film that delivers jaw-dropping entertainment and crystal-clear, vivid animation.
Granted, the story itself is somewhat shallow and superficial, yet SINBAD succeeds through the skill and artistry of its makers. The film explodes with colorful images--some of them computer-animated, most of them drawn by human hands--that overwhelm the viewer; within seconds, the outside world exits stage left as the viewer is absorbed into delightful aesthetic imagery. Sure, this is a cartoon, and the characters gracefully defy gravity (and injury) while Nature and other nasty perils take on an even more ominous dimension, yet the film is so well crafted and beautiful that disbelief is willingly and permanently suspended.
SINBAD--LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS is still good, despite the voice lended by Brad Pitt in the lead role. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes, and Dennis Haysbert make their characters come to life, but again, characters and story take a backseat to the animation. This is riveting, swashbuckling stuff; a cartoon that is highly recommended.
--D. Mikels
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top-Notch Family Entertainment, July 2, 2003
The name of Sinbad is as well known as the likes of Jason and the Argonauts, The Oddessy, and the Arabian Nights when in comes to heroic sea voyages and trickster thieves, and he has been made into several movies and television shows (most of which weren't particularly good). Gradually the name of Sinbad became stale, unfortunate for one of the few Persian/Middle Eastern heroes known to modern Western civilisation. But now Dreamworks pictures reinvents and breathes new life into the legend with "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" in a fresh new story and amazing animation.
Sinbad the sailor, captain and thief is about to begin his last robbery: steal the Book of Peace and retire to Fiji, but during the mission two vital things stop him. One is a run-in with his old best friend Prince Proteus, who demands that the book (on its way to his kingdom Syracuse) be left in his charge, the other is an attack from a vicious sea serpent sent from the goddess of chaos, Eris, who is also after the book. By saving Sinbad's life, Eris cuts him a deal: Sinbad must steal the book, bringing chaos to the seven seas, and she will reward him with plenty of riches.
But Sinbad's having second thoughts, especially when he is introduced to Proteus' beautiful fiancee, the Ambassador Marina. So Eris takes things into her own hands, stealing the book and framing Sinbad. Now sentenced to death, Sinbad is horrified when Proteus steps up to take his place under the executioner's axe if Sinbad cannot return the Book of Peace within ten days. Grappling with his own desire to simply make a dash to Fiji, Sinbad reluctantly heads off, with an unwelcome stowaway aboard - Marina, who's there to make sure the job is done. Needless to say, conflict (and a certain degree of flirtation) begins between the two.
It is the voyage itself that is the centrepiece of the movie: the ship travels under glorious sunsets, night skies full of stars, through ghostly shipwrecks where watery Sirens sing their luring songs, across an island that is more than what it seems, through ancient ruins encapsulated in ice and snow, and finally to the edge of the world, and Tartarus that lies beyond: a place where forever moving sands rise up and sink down to reveal the structures hidden beneath... All scenes are exquisitely rendered, and computer effects meld perfectly with hand-drawn figures. The artistry itself is reason enough to go and see.
Voice talents are well-cast, with Brad Pitt as Sinbad and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marina leading the charge as our two main heroes. The animation is quite similar to previous Dreamworks productions such as "The Road to El Dorado" and "The Prince of Eygpt", so it seems only fitting that two voice talents from the latter should be involved here - Joseph Fiennes as Proteus, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Eris. It is this goddess of Discord that really steals the show, and the animation done to create her is incredible - she curls and twines around in the air, she dissipates and reforms from black smoke, and Michelle Pfeiffer brings such a cat-like, almost purring sound to her voice that she is amazing to watch. It's always interesting to see how figures like the gods are brought to life in movies, and "Sinbad" imagined and created her perfectly.
Though the story is predominantly centred around Syracuse and the main nemesis is a Greek goddess, the melding all several old cultures actually didn't bother me that much - the movie successfully combines Grecian, Oriental, and Middle Eastern components into the look and feel of the movie, which I suppose in those days of sailing and trade, was not such an extrodinary thing. The creators have made a widespread, colourful tapestry of ancient cities and different ethnic flavours, and it works well.
The action sequences are energetic and fast, with camera angles moving at 360 degrees in order to push the viewer into the action, whether it be swordfighting, swinging from the rigging of the ship or facing off yet another terrifying monster. Its pefectly kid-friendly, with a couple of adult jokes that should be way over their heads (pickle and eggs, anyone?) but with enough action and excitement to keep them seated throughout the running time. The final romance was a little abrupt, and I disliked the modern day language of some parts ("I'm bad. *Sin*bad." and "You're cute. But not that cute.") but those would be my only real complaints. Basically, this is a great family movie that all should enjoy whether child or adult.
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