Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Sinbad, the most daring and notorious rogue ever to sail the seven seas, has spent his life asking for trouble, and trouble has finally answered in a big way. Framed for stealing one of the world's most priceless and powerful treasures—the Book of Peace—Sinbad has one chance to find and return the precious book, or his best friend Proteus will die. Sinbad decides not to take that chance and instead sets a course for the fun and sun of the Fiji Islands. However, Proteus' beautiful betrothed, Marina, has stowed away on Sinbad's ship, determined to make sure that Sinbad fulfills his mission and saves Proteus' life. Now the man who put the "bad" in Sinbad is about to find out how bad bad can be.
| Brad Pitt | Sinbad |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones | Marina |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Eris |
| Joseph Fiennes | Proteus |
| Dennis Haysbert | Kale |
| Timothy West | Dymas |
| Adriano Giannini | Rat |
| Raman Hui | Jin |
| Chung Chan | Li |
| Jim Cummings | Luca/Additional Voices |
| Conrad Vernon | Jed |
| Andrew Birch | Grum and Chum |
| Chris Miller | Tower Guard |
| Patrick Gilmore |
6.50 out of 10 (3983 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Why is it so misunderstood?
posted on 08 May 2009This is just another movie that didn't nearly get the box office return it deserved (but as a fan of fellow 2003 bombs Gigli and Cat in the Hat, what do I know?).Yes, I'll admit Brad Pit's voice work doesn't quite match up with Jeremy Iron's work in The Lion King. But this is an exciting movie filled with exciting action sequences. I was amazed at how cool that sea monster early in the movie was. The siren sequence was equally spectacular in it's solid blend of fantasy and action.Special kudos to DreamWorks for creating in my opinion the greatest villain (villainess) ever. Add this movie with Batman Returns and White Oleander and you get a nice trilogy of Michelle Pfeiffer villains.More kudos to DreamWorks for creating Spike, one of my all-time favorite characters. I hear they decided at the last minute to put more of Spike into the movie, I can't thank them enough for doing that.One Last kudos, because, as an Orangemen fan, I'm glad to see a lot of the story revolves around happenings in a place called Syracuse.Grade: B+
Great Movie! (With Brad Pitt involved, how couldn't it be?)
posted on 08 Apr 2009Today I took my brother and two friends to see Sinbad (etc.),expecting it to be ... too Disney. This film was very appealingbecause it had an actual storyline, instead of being interruptedevery ten minutes by a song-and-dance number. It also didn'tmoralize. It's up to the viewers to do that.
The one thing that I disliked about Sinbad was the choppy switchbetween the different types of animation. In the close-up shots ofthe character interaction, they look nice and flat. But as the shotpulls away, suddenly their figures begin to resemble crude 3-Dvideo game players. Come on Dreamworks, you can do betterthan that. P.S. In the movie, they were not discussing ARIES. It was ERIS,goddess of discord who threw the golden apple ... leading to theTrojan war etc. But that doesn't matter! Who cares which goddessshe is? She was a pretty cool villain. (Particularly with all thesmoky swooshing around the screen. Loved it!)
Great adventure!
posted on 11 Feb 2009I enjoyed this film which contained a mix of beautiful animation, action, romance, and story telling. Overall it's a very good movie but some of the violence and frightful scenes make it a bit much for children under 7. I rated this film 8 out of 10, it's highly entertaining but not quite an all time classic.
Overlooked minor gem...
posted on 27 Nov 2008As it appeared on a year that was basically owned by Pixar's terrific "Finding Nemo", it is not surprising to find this film among the pile forgotten animations of that year. Along with Warner's "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" and Disney's other efforts ("Brother Bear" and "Piglet's Big Movie"), "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" went out as fast as it came. However, and unlike the other three movies, this one was actually better than good, and was a throw-back to the old animated adventures of sword and sorcery in many ways superior to Disney's "Hercules".Sinbad, the Persian sailor of "The Book of One Thousand and One Nights", is drastically changed for this adventure. Here he appears (voiced by Brad Pitt) as an infamous Greek pirate who is hunting for the legendary "Book of Peace" in order to become rich enough to spend his days relaxing at Fiji. To his surprise, the Book is guarded by his childhood friend Proteus (Joseph Fiennes), so he finally decides not to steal the Book. However, the Greek goddess Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer) also wants the Book, so she frames Sinbad for stealing the book, and now he has one chance to recover the Book and prove he is innocent or Proteus will be executed in his place.That's the beginning of Sinbad's adventure and just like old swashbuckling films, the movie is charged with action, adventure and comedy, with also a bit of romance, courtesy of Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), an adventurous woman confused by the love she feels for both Proteus and Sinbad. Directors Patrick Gilmore and Tim Johnson make a very good mix of modern and old school animations like Dreamworks previously did in "The Prince of Egypt" and "The Road to El Dorado". The mix of styles works very good for the most part although it was notorious in some scenes.Purists will be disappointed as this is not a literal adaptation of the Travels of Sinbad, however, I think writer John Logan made a very good job mixing elements of both mythologies (arabian and Greek) as well as many references to the original literature works he bases his script in. The story unfolds smoothly and never gets boring or tedious, although it is true that at times it forgets it is an epic adventure and becomes a typical romantic comedy.The voice work is relatively good, Michelle Pfeiffer is terrific as Eris and Fiennes gives the necessary dignity to Prince Proteus, but the rest of the cast is nothing special and one wonders why to hire a well-known movie star instead of more experienced voice actors. The characters are very well defined and the movie as a whole shows a big improvement over previous Dreamworks animated films.While the film is very entertaining and funny, it lacks that "epic" feeling this kind of adventures should convey, and never truly explores its enormous potential. A better musical score and a couple of more action scenes would had improved the film a lot. The short runtime doesn't really help in this matter and it is a bit disappointing because it is a very well done film.2003 will always be remembered as "Finding Nemo"'s year in terms of animated film, and the reason of that was the lack of a serious competition. Still, while nowhere near Pixar's modern classic, "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" is an action-packed animated film that not only the young ones will enjoy, as it feels almost like one of those swashbuckling classics of old. 7/10
A Beautiful Animated Odyssey
posted on 19 Nov 2008"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!
Unadorned animated film for kids.
posted on 04 Sep 2008The realm of animation is reaching levels of absolute simplicity. `Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas' appeared to be a rousing family film with decent animation accompanied by big stars voicing over the characters. However, the film is really just an unadorned animated film for kids. Does anyone out there remember the true intentions of animation? Believe it or not, it is an art form that was never designed for children. Somewhere along the line, the idea got lost in the notions of big-budget animated flicks for kids from Disney and countless other cheap animators whose only goal was a direct to video release to profit on the rugrats. Although `Sinbad' has some great computer animated scenes combined with traditional animation, it's still for kids. Why not make a great animated flick for adults or at least something adults can appreciate at a higher level. `Sinbad' tells the story of the fabled sailor Sinbad (Brad Pitt), as he is a rogue captain who steals for a living on the high seas. But when the goddess Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer) steals a mysterious book called the Book of Peace, she frames Sinbad for the crime. To prove his innocence and loyalty to his childhood friend Proteus (Joseph Fiennes), Sinbad sets out on a journey accompanied by a woman named Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to apprehend the book. But along the way, he'll have to deal with monsters and serpents sent to stop him that are controlled by Eris.
`Sinbad' had the ability to be great like other animated films of late including `Atlantis: The Lost Empire,' `The Prince of Egypt,' and `Spirited Away.' But there's too much nonsense here and there in the film that gives it a campy, childish feel. Undoubtedly, it was designed for children-but that's the problem. The filmmakers forgot that they were making a film that was going to be seen by adults, as well.
One more big no no-do not rewrite a classic story that has handed down to generation after generation throughout history. The filmmakers certainly take their freedoms in telling the story. It's interesting to see Sinbad hanging out with the Greeks in the Mediterranean Sea when he was originally known as an Arabic sailor.
Despite the juvenile feel of `Sinbad,' it would be unjust not to acknowledge its animation; especially the computer animated segments. The colors of vivid and the characters are portrayed lively and adventurous. Beyond the animation, the score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (`Spy Game') is very well done.
In the end, if a person takes their kids to see this film, they aren't going to do anything other than take a nap for an hour and forty minutes. In the mean time, you can be happy to know that the kiddies will stare at the screen and munch down gobs of expensive popcorn that will certainly keep their attention, if the film doesn't. **
Best adventure since Lion King
posted on 09 Aug 2008A great adventure and lots of fun!! It's your typical Disney movie that every one cane enjoy. It's a classic story of love and adventure with lots of creative fight scenes and great characters. I personally think it is Disney's best attempt at their original movies since The Lion King.
Decent film, but you still leave feeling empty
posted on 07 Aug 2008Sadly, Dreamworks once again failed to make
a decent animated movie even with strong
resources and an interesting premise.
Unfortunately, touting Brad Pitt as a sort of
anamoly to the film doesn't work in a way which
brings in strong profit margins. Sure, the action
sequences were decent and worth watching,
but it seemed to try too hard being a movie a
grown-up would go to. Either way, very few
people seemed to be interested in the movie,
considering the dismal returns. Hopefully,
Dreamworks will keep trying, and hopefully,
there is still a place for 2D animation in the future.
This film is atrocious!
posted on 03 Apr 2008The problem with Disney is that they make children's films. Although this is not a problem in its self it seems to give Disney the right to make atrocious films such as this one. Remember that a large part of a child's education comes from film and television.The original Sinbad was an Arab, he was a Muslim and there was no feminism around in his time, let alone the fact that the original Sinbad hails from Bagdad.What Disney has done to Sinbad is take away his Arab, Muslim, Bagdad and original masculine identity and replaced it with ... mush! But here is where the problem really starts. The lame excuse that people will give Disney is that they make films for children and that therefor this twisting of the original truth is okay. That children will not know the difference anyway. However my question is, if Disney take away everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that Sinbad was, why make a film about Sinbad. Could Disney not have left the original story which in the Arab world equals Homer's Odysee and Iliad.What this film does is symbolize the growing cultural imperialism of the United States, feeding the world with candy crap. Why is Marina and for that matter Eris, who comes from Helenist religion...not the Muslim, have such a large part in the film. This is due to the growing feminist movement in the 20th century and whilst there is nothing wrong with feminism one cannot just excuse it being juxtaposed on history and therefor sanitizing it. Women did not wear alluring outfits in Bagdad back in the day.The notion of Sinbad as an individual hero is also Western hogwash. In the original tale Sinbad is a hero and more importantly the pride of the people of Bagdad. His triumph was their triumph and so Sinbad having to fight out his own demons is a total bunch of neo age you-know-what!But what am I talking about? Its only a kids movie right?
So near, but yet so far
posted on 08 Mar 2008**Spoiler warning**Okay, so, this is theoretically a kids film - although if that's so, quite what pull Dreamworks expect drafting in Brad Pitt to have I don't know.I have to say I was quite looking forward to this, modern animation gives Sinbad stories that edge I feel the old creakily stop-motioned flicks lacked. Upon seeing it I was probably slightly more disappointed than impressed, but it definitely wasn't all bad.On the upside, the animation was good, as was the score and the general plot. It makes for quite light entertainment, definitely something the kids would enjoy, and stands a good chance of making mums and dads laugh too.On the downside though there are several factors which didn't quite gel. I felt the crew held a lot of potential to be developed as characters, but were more or less ignored in favour of Sinbad's dog... the "Jar Jar" of this film so to speak, who didn't need to exist at all, but doubtless will come off as a kids favourite.While the animation did give much smoother running than the jerky stop motion of the films as I anticipated, this was effectively ruined by the jerkiness of the storytelling, very much jumping from set-piece to set-piece with little or nothing connecting them.It also somehow failed to be quite as epic as it could and should have been. Some of the monster encounters were very impressive, but there were only about 3, and the ice bird/snowboarding sequence looked lifted straight from a video game. Also I'd expect the Goddess of Chaos, Eris' "chaos realm" Tartarus to be, well, chaotic! As such it was one of the biggest anti-climaxes I've seen in a long while, her astral hang out at the beginning would have been better, or anything really - even just sticking a kaleidoscope effect on the sand would have done!Still, it's definitely worth watching the once, and I have to say that I'd probably go watch a sequel if one came about.
Beautifully animated adventure movie, with unusually strong female characters to off-set a slightly uninspired storyline.
posted on 18 Jan 2008"Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas" is a beautifully animated adventure film from the folks at Dreamworks. It might not be as good from the story point-of-view as some of the other films released by the studio ("Shrek 1 and 2" and "The Road To El Dorado" are better), but it makes up for its lack of narrative ingenuity in other departments.Infamous pirate Sinbad (voice of Brad Pitt) and his crew attack another ship in the Mediterranean Sea. They are trying to steal enough riches to retire to a life of luxury in Fiji, but their plans are interrupted when Sinbad discovers that the boat he's just boarded belongs to an old childhood friend, Prince Proteus (voice of Joseph Fiennes). Proteus is delivering a valuable, magical book – The Book Of Peace – to Syracuse, and is determined to protect his priceless cargo whatever the cost. After being knocked overboard Sinbad is saved from drowning by Eris, the Goddess of Discord (voice of Michelle Pfeiffer). She persuades him to steal the Book Of Peace for her, promising him wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams. But later Eris herself steals the Book, framing Sinbad for the crime and leaving him to face execution in the city of Syracuse. Proteus is the only person who believes that Sinbad is innocent of the crime so he does a deal. Proteus offers himself for execution and lets Sinbad go free – the arrangement being that Sinbad must return within ten days with the Book. If he returns in time, he will be pardoned. If he returns late or not at all, Proteus will die. Initially, Sinbad plans to sail away as soon as his ship is over the horizon, but when Proteus's fiancée Marina (voice of Catherine Zeta-Jones) turns up as a stowaway on his ship he has to change his plans. Sinbad and his crew endure an action-packed adventure as they head towards Eris's kingdom of Tartarus – a land from which no-one has ever returned alive. Along the way, Sinbad learns a few important life-lessons, such as commitment, honesty, friendship and loyalty. But he also finds himself falling in love with Marina, even though she is betrothed to his friend. Worse still, he learns that getting the book back from Eris will require sacrifices and a change of character that might just be beyond his ability….."Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas" consists of good and not-so-good elements. As mentioned, the animation is consistently excellent throughout. Harry Gregson-Williams gives the film a memorable and exciting score, and John Logan's screenplay provides a sufficient variety of adventures in adventurous realms. The vocal acting is OK too, with some of the stars enjoying better roles than others. Pfeiffer and Zeta-Jones in particular get fully into the spirit of the film. Indeed, one of the most refreshing things about the entire movie is the strong female presence in it – both Eris and Marina are powerful characters whose involvement in the story is central to everything going on. The not-so-good elements include a rather bland, by-the-numbers plot (anyone who's ever seen a Ray Harryhausen film will knows what's coming well before it happens). Similarly, the film has an annoying habit of either Americanising or modernising everything… most notably the dialogue and the banter. Then there's the fact that Sinbad dreams of retiring to Fiji a good millennium or two before Fiji had even been discovered – another lack of attention to detail that grates on the viewer. On the whole, however, I found "Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas" to be an enjoyable and somewhat overlooked animated fantasy. Aside from its periodic flaws it's definitely fun for the family.
A Breathtaking Adventure!
posted on 16 Jan 2008Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (Dreamworks SKG) This film I could hardly contain my excitement for. With a terrific cast, consisting of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marina, Brad Pitt as Sinbad, Michelle Pfeiffer as Eris, and Ralph Fiennes as Proteus, I was high with anticipation. The plot revolves around an Arabian pirate and adventurer (Sinbad) who must return the Book of Peace (a magical book that keeps the Twelve Cities safe from harm) in order to save his friend Proteus. It doesn't help that Sinbad is a pirate who doubts his heart and is constantly being lured into traps by Eris, the Greek goddess of Chaos. Not quite fully a kid's movie, and not quite one geared towards adults, SINBAD is universal enough to appeal to both categories. All of the characters are rich, exciting and innovative. The animation is breathtaking, as is the vision. And beyond the overriding adventure, it is also a tale of courage, friendship, love, trust and passion. It is as old-fashioned a tale as any, but who says that this is such a bad thing? 3.25/4
Adequate
posted on 27 Nov 2007Well, they've done it again. In the grand tradition of modern animated classics, they take wonderful stories from antiquity and staff them with people from suburban Los Angeles. This is a fun enough movie, my children enjoyed it, but it centers around a gaping plot hole (the "book of peace" - what is it? why does it have power?) that is never explained. We're just supposed to accept it and go on. The original Sinbad stories were at least relatively orthodox fantasy adventure tales. This is the product of the post modern mind, where magic books suffuse cities with some sort of magic nuclear radiation that not only powers their ecosystem, but imbues it with moral good as well. Okay. We'll grant them that one. The action is fast paced and fun, and every opportunity is taken to go (basically) surfing and snowboarding, just so the kids won't have to get too far outside their comfort zones. What saves the film, what makes it really worth the effort, is that evil is conquered not by good alone, but by the main character's dedication to what is right. In other words, they are saved not by faith alone, but also by works, which is an important lesson for children. Wealth and power are forsaken so that right can prevail. So with that in mind, it's worth a rental.
Being the Disney that they are, we're given the "formula" again... and again... and again...
posted on 11 Nov 2007Good god, not another one of these Disney rubbish again. Each year after year I spent my money on tickets, hoping that they will improve. I loved all their pre-Lion King era features so I gave them my chances, my benefit of the doubt. So did they ever learn from their past mistakes? That's wishful thinking. Even my 11-year old cousin left the cinema half-asleep. This will be the LAST time I will give a Disney feature a go. EVER.Now they stated that 2D animation is dead. Well just look WHO killed it in the first place! Disney have only themselves to blame for not listening to us for years.
Better than Disney junk - Dreamworks does it again!
posted on 12 Sep 2007This is more of a "D and D" adventure than a "cartoon". Lots of the lines and action is adult themed and can be enjoyed by all. Don't get me wrong, the kids will enjoy it as well. But there are enough plot twists to make it enjoyable - if only Xena could have been this good!
Decent, though repetitive
posted on 07 Aug 2007In some ways, this is your typical animated film from Dreamworks. The plot is uneven, the main characters look like the same ones you've seen before, and Jim Cummings voices everyone else. This is too bad because it has some positive elements like satisfactory character development (for the main roles, anyway) and an engaging story. Brad Pitt is a poor choice for Sinbad, though, and it's obvious that he was selected for his "Big Celebrity" appeal instead of any talent. This is also the second ocean-going movie of late that has included a repetitive plot device to help it along. In "Finding Nemo" it was: "Big, carnivorous fish/whale chases and attacks our little friends" and that happens three or four times. Here it's "Giant, poorly-blended, computer-generated monster goes after our little friends." This happens about three times, and in the shadow of Dreamworks' *earlier* repetitive plot device, which was, "The cavalry keeps chasing our heroes and won't leave them alone," multiplied by three or four.Even with these failings, "Sinbad" is an interesting watch for being weird and unpredictable. I think this is one of those movies that would have made a lot more money if it had come out before CGI rose to power. For me, there is no greater thrill than sitting in a dim theater, waiting for the start of a brand new, 2D film that I've never seen before, so I went to this one with heart open and had a pretty good time. It only didn't hold up well on a second viewing due to its minimal, undetailed script. "Sinbad" isn't a great film, but I would recommend it for anyone the first time. It is a fun watch when you don't know what's coming.
An overlooked gem
posted on 06 Jun 2007I 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.
Even better even than I had anticipated...
posted on 03 May 2007My first thought at the preview of this film was that it featured the voices of two of my favorite actresses: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer. When I saw it on opening day, I was far from disappointed.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas turned out to my pick for the best movie of the Summer (so far) and maybe even the year. I have to concede that this is Dreamworks's next best animated endeavor, second only to their masterpiece, the almost perfect The Prince of Egypt.You can do a lot of really cool things these days with animation, and with a legend like Sinbad, you can do even more. The legendary hero has to face a moral and ethical dilemma or two in this visually stunning film. The relationships are remarkably well-developed and the characters are extremely believable. Pfeiffer as Eris, the serpentine Goddess of discord is sultry and threateningly subtle. Zeta-Jones as the torn love interest is a feisty advocate for girl-power, but still manages to be feminine, even a damsel in distress at times. Joseph Fiennes, although not given much material, is charming as the good-natured and trusting Proteus, Prince and heir to the throne of Syracuse. Finally, Brad Pitt pulls off a dashing Sinbad, giving life to the role as I imagine only he could. The supporting cast, although they put me off a bit at first, turned out some remarkable comic relief. My only comment about that: Why is dog slobber funny? Spike almost got on my nerves, but at the exact right moment, they ended the slobber jokes and got on with character development and storytelling.All in all, a spectacular feast for the senses, a romantic, swashbuckling adventure that will enchant all who get a chance to see it.9.5/10
small note of praise
posted on 19 Apr 2007Although the plot was predictably formulaic there was a lot of good action and good humor, entertaining for the adults as well and, a lovely surprise, no singing. The character of Eris was particularly captivating. When the movie was over, there was a lot of clapping. A fun adventure cartoon most kids will probably enjoy.
Please watch this great cartoon
posted on 23 Jun 2009I remember when this cartoon finished, i just wanted to see it again. It's funny from the start to the great end. I think that everyone that likes to watch cartoons and laugh along: this is the one to watch. See it now before it goes off the cinema and you regret it!