Review: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (**)

SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): **


As a film critic, I almost feel guilty for telling the truth about animated
movies. Things have changed. Just as inevitable as the passing of the
horse drawn carriage in favor of the horseless one, feature length cartoons
should no longer be hand drawn if the studios want the public to shell out
fifty bucks to take the family to see them on the big screen. Pixar has
shown the way. The future is computer generated animation. Audiences gave
thumbs down to last year's TREASURE PLANET and again to this summer's
SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS. Both are nicely drawn but lack the lush
3D realism of films such as TOY STORY or FINDING NEMO.



Okay, there are exceptions to any rule. LILO & STITCH, the last successful
movie that was traditionally animated, soared because of its truly
exceptional script. It is possible to make traditionally animated pictures
work, but it is like swimming upstream against a strong current. Simple
little CGI films such as JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS have become hits.
Studios, give it up. Save your old animators for work on direct-to-video
productions. Allocate most of your animated budget to computer generation.



And one more thing, don't waste your money on marquee names for the voice
talent, unless their voices are really remarkable. The stars of SINBAD:
LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer
and Joseph Fiennes, are wonderful actors, but their voices are just not
memorable enough to carry the production.



SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS involves the Goddess of Chaos, the Book of
Peace and a pirate ship, but it's a slapdash story that will rarely hold
viewers' attention. Wait for video, when paying a couple of dollars to rent
it will seem like a reasonable price to pay for a movie that will mildly
amuse your youngsters. And, whatever you do, don't waste your own time
watching it with them. Save that for when they pull anything by Pixar off
of your bookshelf. Pixar's movies are the ones that you want to own.
SINBAD is purely for rental.



SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS runs a long 1:26. It is rated PG for
"adventure action, some mild sensuality and brief language" and would be
acceptable for all ages.



The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the
Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.



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