Sinbad - La leggenda dei sette mari

"Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" is a wonderful animated feature by Dreamworks. This under-rated movie was very well done with eye-catching visuals and an intriguing story. The scenes of the battle against the sea monster, and the visit to Eris' realm in Tartarus are particularly artistic. Granted, the legend of Sinbad may have been taken far from its "Arabian Nights" roots to go more towards Greek mythology. But all the mythic elements make the story a thing of wonder. Personally, I think every mythology and folklore canon in the world has some connections with each other, so who's to say that Middle Eastern folklore doesn't share any similarities with Greek mythology? Anyway, "Sinbad" truly deserves to be seen and enjoyed!

I know and love all the movies with the famous "Sinbad" (from the Ray Harryhausen time). But I find the recent remakes (TV production) are always boring because off the lack of imagination from the directors.

So I hesitated a long time before watching this one. (above all with a "DISNEY" movie ! I feared to fall asleep.)

But I love this one ! The story is absolutely new, surprising and imaginative. The runtime's movie is short, so no time to bore. The charactere way of talking is really fun and modern, with hilarious quotes. My favourite one is when the Sinbad's ship arrives at the end of the sea, and someone says : "Well, at least, that proves earth is flat !" (LOL !)

Not a masterpiece, but a really good entertainment !

9/10

My Take: Revives the old-fashioned Sinbad adventures of yore with the style and wit of modern animated movies.

More fun than Disney's own seafaring adventure of 2001 ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (an under-appreciated film which I loved), Dreamworks' SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS has everything an exciting adventure should have: Action, romance, and a whole lot of laughs. Action-packed and sharply funny, SINBAD is a marvelous little film that keeps the joys and appeal of the rip-snorting old-fashioned Sinbad films of the 50's/60's.

The fast-paced storyline sets you off to the high seas and doesn't lose track. Brad Pitt is delight as the voice of the wisecracking Sinbad, a seafaring pirate who is framed by the evil Goddess of Chaos (savory Michelle Pfieffer) on stealing the legendary Book of Peace, which unites nations in harmony. While his trusted childhood friend Proteus (voiced by Joseph Fiennes) courageously allows to take Sinbad's place in execution, Sinbad sets of to find the book in order to save his trusted friend... or does he? Proteus' fiancée Marina (voiced with glee by Catherine Zeta-Jones) accompanies Sinbad on his voyage to make sure he fulfills his due. Also accompanying Sinbad on this lovely and perilous voyage is the audience, young or old, who will definitely have a rollicking good time with this film's successful melding of action and comedy... something for both the children and the adults will enjoy.

Once again, Disney has found great competition for an animated entertainment in this terrifically enjoyable adventure. Adults will have much to be surprised themselves (even if they had that final kiss scene coming). Lots of fun.

Rating: **** out of 5.

I realise that it may be premature to call this film overlooked, but with both Disney and DreamWorks sounding the death knell for cel animation, this film has yet to receive its due.

First off, this is a gorgeous film to look at. The CG work may not be quite seamless, but this seems to be an intentional decision on the part of the directors, and it wasn't jarring in any way. The colour palette is well chosen, and the characters are well-drawn and stylised.

Second, the voice performances are great. Brad Pitt has always been an underrated actor in my opinion, so his performance here was, no surprise, excellent, as were those of Joseph Fiennes, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Third, the pacing is great. This is a film that breezes by with plenty of action and a welcome lack of potty humour. There are scenes where vomit and bare bottoms are used, but not nearly to the same tasteless effect as most children's films these days.

Finally, my kids loved it. They had a lot of fun, and so did my wife. This is not a crowd easily pleased by movies, so this is really saying something.

I was surprised that Sinbad was seen as a failure. I loved the animation and the storyline. It was a PG rated animated movie, what should be expected? The drawing was on time, the voices were great and the adventure was mesmerizing. I would take my grandchildren to see it again just as an excuse to view this cinematic treasure again.