21. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
This film really surprised me. You look at the poster and you expect maybe some bargain bin style film and you actually get a high octane adventure that makes me jealous I didn’t see it on the big screen. When this came out exactly twenty years ago from when I’m writing this here in 2023 (I'm finally posting these reviews in 2025, geez) I probably would have had hazy memories of the theater experience but maybe not since I still recall bits and pieces of my movie going experience of Shrek and Toy Story 2.
The first thing that needs to be EMPHAZISED with a capital “E” is that this film looks fucking gorgeous! It is a beautiful looking movie! Every other screen caption I’ve seen of it while watching the movie was incredibly breathtaking. That and the animation! Dear God, it’s SO fluid! People so much as turning their heads was something I was marveling at. There is a bit of datedness to the CGI monsters that show up but to be honest it’s not that bad when all is said and done. The juxtaposition between them and our heroes does make them stand out as otherworldly and strange.
The big animation highlight has to be our main villain Eris, the Goddess of Discord and Chaos (Michelle Pfeiffer). The fluid nature of her animation is one thing but the stuff they do with her is another. The way she flows from one end of the screen to another or how she interacts with the world via her magic is incredibly creative. There’s a scene where she’s attempting to frame Sinbad (Brad Pitt) for the theft of the Book of Peace and instead of transforming into him, she summons up this creepy, life-less puppet body version of him and then slips into it like a suit. It’s really cool.
The characters are all fun but they are pretty typical when it comes down to it. Sinbad is your typical roguish vagabond with a prideful chip on his shoulder but a heart of gold underneath that needs to go through a harrowing experience to reclaim the goodness in him that was lost when he transitioned to adulthood. Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the female love interest who, interestingly enough, starts off being the love interest of Proteus, Sinbad’s best friend (Joseph Fiennes) as a child, and sets out to sea with Sinbad to make sure he completes his quest.
What is the quest? Well, as I said, the Book of Peace was stolen by Eris dressed as Sinbad and naturally he gets the blame. Proteus, still knowing there’s good in him despite not seeing the man for 10 years, decides to take Sinbad’s place, allowing for him to go off and find the book in 10 days time. If he fails, he’ll be beheaded instead of Sinbad. It’s a pretty intense thing and the film dives into how much of a bastard Sinbad wants people to believe he is by attempting to sail off to Fiji instead of finding the book, claiming that Proteus won’t be killed by them. Technically he was right, sort of. His father does attempt to break him out of prison but Proteus declines.
The trip he goes on is basically just a huge adventure. There are different landscapes, different set-pieces, different monsters, and different obstacles for them to overcome before they can reach Tartarus and get the book back. On its surface it’s pretty simple but it does do a few things here and there that make it stand out.
For one, Sinbad has a pirate crew and only two of them have any real presence on screen. Despite that though, it’s interesting seeing them all working with him to achieve this goal as main protagonists with pirate crews like this usually aren’t the norm. It’s usually something you see a villain have. Also, the fun adventurous aspects are followed up by just some really fun and clever action pieces. At some point in the film I said to myself, this is like Moana but better. Which, to be frank, I like Moana fine. I always prefer musicals to normal movies honestly but that film doesn’t do enough that I found too clever compared to this one. Except maybe Tomatoa and his whole deal.
I especially like the way the ending is handled in this film comparatively. I won’t spoil it but it really does sell you on Sinbad being a changed man at the end with what he does there. Balls of steel on that one.
A vast majority of the film is also held up by his developing relationship with Marina. The intrigue there is that she’s Proteus’ girlfriend and it’s used as a sticking point towards his “evil heart” that he’s out here on an adventure with her, betraying his trust by falling in love with her. It’s a fine enough sticking point but if you can see beyond it, there’s not a ton to grab on to as far as their relationship. If you’ve seen films like this then you’ve seen this kind of developing romance before.
I will say that Marina herself is pretty awesome though. She’s a natural at this adventuring stuff and by the end you definitely buy that the two of them are going to get along well with their desire to sail steadfast into danger. They survived Tartarus. Why wouldn’t they?
Good, solid adventure film that does the adventuring aspects of it creatively even if bits and pieces of the story are a bit plain. There’s just enough there that's not QUITE what other movies have done before and it really makes it stand out.
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4 months, 1 week ago
07 Apr 2025 23:11 CEST
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