Customer Reviews

Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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!

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

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.

I love 2D animation movies and this one is a very good one. Too bad, traditional animation doesn't do well in the box office these days. People are now more into 3D animation like Monster Inc., Shrek and Finding Nemo. It doesn't mean that they are not good. I personally prefer this one over most recent Disney movies such Treasure Planet, Atlantis and even Lilo and Stitch. This one is by far the most technically advanced animation movie I have seen lately. The character animations are superb, the 3D CGI effects are well combine with the 2D elements and the story is good enough. Sinbad is a very popular character and the kids love him. The action never stops. The voice acting is excellent in my opinion. If you love 2D animation from Disney or DreamWorks you should definitely buy this movie.

Personally, I think that DreamWorks has now surpassed Disney in 2D animation. The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Sinbad are way better then most Disney movies such as The Emperor's new Groove, Treasure Planet, Atlantis, Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear.

Overall, I really enjoy this movie. I give it a 5 stars.

I'm confused. Although I'll admit that's a natural state of being most of the time, it isn't regarding this fine film; critics slammed Sinbad when it came out. Is it because the animation, writing or voice performances are bad? No, actually all are exceptional. I personally believe it's something of a Dreamworks backlash of some sort (or, perhaps, a backlash against hand drawn animation after lots of CGI animated features).

Parents need to throw out all expectationst that this has anything to do with the Sinbad films Ray Harryhausen made or that it might have something to do with the Arabian Nights; neither is the case. Instead, what we are given is a very entertaining original film scripted by John Logan (The Time Machine and Star Trek; Nemesis).

Unlike Harryhausen's epic adventures, this Sinbad is a pirate raiding vessels on the Seven Seas. He's intent on stealing the Book of Peace a magical, legendary book that will fetch quite a surprise. What he doesn't intent on discovering is his old friend Proteus guarding the book and competition from the goddess Eris. When Sinbad spoils her attempt to take the book (she has the ship attacked by one of her squid creatures), she makes a bargain with the drowning Sinbad; obtain the book for her and she'll provide him with untold riches. Unfortunately, it's a bargain that she has no intention of keeping.

Sinbad follows his old friend Proteus to the city of Syracuse where the book is to be enshrined in one of the city's temples. There Sinbad also meets an old flame Marina. Turns out Marina is bethroed to Proteus. Eris disguises herself as Sinbad and takes the Book of Peace. Sinbad is thrown in jail with a sentence of death. Proetus stands up for Sinbad and offers himself as a prisoner in place of Sinbad so that Sinbad may obtain the Book back from Eris. Marina decides to go along to insure Sinbad will do the job so that Proetus will be spared death.

This wouldn't be a Sinbad movie if our hero didn't encounter a Cyclops and other nasty beasts along the way and defeat them. Sinbad is full of swasbuckling fun and beautifully designed animation. The integration of hand drawn and CGI designed animation enhances the film giving it a depth missing from more traditional looking films like Disney's fine Brother Bear.

Much of the criticism seems to be centered around the voice acting by Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joseph Fiennes and Michelle Pfeiffer. All do very good to exceptional work in the feature. Perhaps it bothered critics that the Dreamworks tried to sell the film on the stars' appeal vs. the film's qualities itself. Either way, both the stars and the film are outstanding.

The DVD transfer is exceptionally sharp and crisp. The colors are rendered nicely and the action sequences look great whether you watch them on the pan and scan version or widescreen. The direction by Patrick Gilmore and Tim Johnson is vivid and the look, texture and tone of the film is very good.

The extras include an interact game/sequence set on Cyclops Island where you can pick which character to follow. There's also a trifle where you can learn about Spot Sinbad's pet dog and printable mazes, masks and a Cyclops Island Board Game (all of these are accessable with the DVD-Rom portion of the disc). There's also a section that concentrates on the gross out scenes and monster moments as they call it (I haven't watched that portion of the DVD yet). Additionally, there's a documentary about the making of the film that's average. The director's commentary is interesting and provides some interesting insights for animation fans although kids will be less than riveted by this feature.

Use of the dual layer format allows this epic film to look exceptional on DVD. There's few to none digital or analog artifacts visible. For fans of fun and swashbuckling adventure, Sinbad provides an entertaining evening for all ages.

This is not only one of the best recent animated films I've seen, but is actually an epic piece of cinema. The visuals are stunning, spectacular, highly imaginative, whatever adjectives one can drum up!

It's the singlemost imaginative creative endeavor onscreen that I've seen in the past five years. If you're a fan of THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN or TIME BANDITS, you're going to love this movie. It's in the same spirit, but also employs all the state of the art CGI effects and pixel animation innovations that have brought new standards to the industry.

The story is actually involving, and the voice overs are masterfully done. The animation is full '60s Trip level. Do yourself and your family a favor and make this one a part of your permanent collection! This is truly artful animation of the highest order.

BEK

If you like high adventure tales, you can't do any better than Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas by Dreamworks Animation. It's a kick to see well known actors reinvented in the animated world. They seem more...well, animated (particularly in this pencil drawn style, that has underservedly lost popularity in recent years). I've never seen Brad Pitt give a more lively performance than as Sinbad. Michelle Pfeiffer's villainous Eris (goddess of Chaos) is sensual and ethereal as she morphs and swirls around the other characters, teasing them into action. Catherine Zeta Jones as Marina is a take-no-baloney heroine who pushes Sinbad to do what's right. They bicker most of the way to Tartarus (the realm of Chaos they are venturing to) and it's obvious they really like each other. But their love-spats only occur between the big adventure sequences, which are wonderful and many in this film. There are sea monsters, water spirits, and a giant snow bird to battle, all just to save Sinbad's friend from losing his head for a crime he didn't commit. After fighting his way to Tartarus, Sinbad, who has lived a life of stealing and adventures for his own gain, is forced to ask himself: what is friendship really worth to him?
This movie is gloriously animated. As I watched it again recently I found myself regretting the computer revolution going on in animation. Those Pixar and PDI films are admittedly good but I love the hand-drawn style too and I hope it doesn't become a lost art. A movie like Sinbad still can't be done as well using that all-computer approach.
Monsters, swashbuckling, romance, and humor await you in this grand, stylishly animated gem. Very highly recommended. Buy it.

I loved this movie. I'm going to go through some of the points raised in other reviews, in the hopes of shedding light on the polarized opinions. First of all, I don't have kids, I just like animated films. There were some weaknesses in this movie - Brad Pitt's voicing was somewhat lackluster, but since he played the character of a rough-and-ready pirate, that lack didn't particularly intrude. Zeta-Jones is a wonderful voice actress - who knew? And Pfieffer as Eris is lush fun.

I read a few complaints from animation geeks who complained about the melding of the two different kinds of animation in this movie. It's true, sometimes I could see the difference between the two, but I didn't have a problem with that. In fact, it gave the film a weird sense of dimension, like watching a three-D movie with glasses on.

The story is solid and emotionally satisfying. There are some adult one-liners that will make you bark with surpised laughter. But I'll tell you what makes the film great - The ART. The thing that sets Sinbad apart from pretty much any animated film I've seen is that these artists imagined things that were visually stunning and original. Watching this movie is like seeing a Cirque d'Soleil show for the first time. Never have I seen animation exploited so beautifully. Dreamworks used it not only to do things that you couldn't ever do in real life, they used it to portray things that most of us couldn't even imagine. And they did it so convincingly that at times I forgot I was watching an animated film and thought, "How did they DO that? Oh, yeah...it isn't real." Combine that with taut, action-based storytelling and you have a film worth buying.

There was one memorable scene in the movie, where Sinbad was jokingly introducing himself as Sin bad because he "sin"'s and is "bad" as in good. I started laughing because all I could think of was SinBad as in a really bad, terrible movie. This picture is plagued with many problems. First of all, while the animation is generally top notch, the animator's mixed in glaringly poor computer animation. This gave the movie a cheesy, inconsistent look. Secondly, the characters were cardboard cutouts. The movie didn't develop any characters. Instead, it just relied on cliche's and gave a fake feel of development. Thirdly, the whole story and "adventure" was extremely dull. There were scenes after scenes of action, but rather than being a delight, they just seemed like space fillers for the lame story. I would generally like to get into much deeper details, but seeing how I wasted enough time with this movie, I will just say a few more words. I bought this title because I loved both Prince of Egypt and Joseph, two previous titles from Dreamworks. I'm not a religious nut... but am a cartoon nut (owning most Disney classics). I saw the reviews on amazon and thought that people were being too harsh and purchased the movie anyways. I now realize that people were being too nice.

Seriously, I don't understand what's so bad about this movie. After reading many reviews and people telling me that its 'lame' and all that. I bet it's all due to the current trend and influences of 'Pixaresque' story creation/movie making methodologies and past 'formulas' for animated feature box office successes.

This movie is downright sincere with a story that works for people of all ages/cultures. I don't see anything wrong with it's portrayal of characters and problems with the story. It's very entertaining and I like it.

5 stars and nothing less.