Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Widescreen Edition)

Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Widescreen Edition)
by Patrick Gilmore, Tim Johnson

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DVD Reviews of Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Widescreen Edition)

DVD Review: Swashbuckling fun
Summary: 4 Stars

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.