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UCFC Movie Reviews Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Year: 2003 Director: Patrick Gilmore and Tim Johnson Starring: Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes Review by V. Bjerreskov (2003 July 03) Dreamworks just keeps getting better and better with their forays into the world of animated feature film. They've come a long way since Prince of Egypt, and now have such successes as Shrek and Spirit under their collective belts. So perhaps it is no surprise that Sinbad builds upon the successes of Dreamworks' previous animated films, and takes them a step beyond. The story opens rather darkly, with the villainess plotting her ultimate interference, but doesn't stay that way. Almost immediately, we are treated to witty reparté, physical comedy, splendid action, and one-liners that had this cynic genuinely laughing. Unlike other movies where I felt forced to laugh (The Emperor's New Groove springs instantly to mind), Sinbad's humour is more mature, and I felt actually amused by it. The story is also complex enough to support the film without intrusive music (there are no songs with lyrics at all!), and well-paced. There were a few points I felt were skipped over, especially in terms of passage of time, but I will overlook them, as this is a children's movie. The actors were also well cast. Brad Pitt did a good job as Sinbad, but I felt at times he was forcing the mood. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marina was also very good, reminiscent of her role in The Mask of Zorro. Michelle Pfeiffer as Eris didn't strike me as particularly evil or villainous, but I suppose she was going for "slippery-like-a-snake evil" instead of "cut-off-your-head-if-I-feel-like-it evil." Joseph Fiennes as Proteus, a small but important role nonetheless, was the one that impressed me the most. Maybe it's the accent, but he infused Proteus with a dignity that did not wholly come from what we saw on the screen. As far as animation went, I was blown away. Although most of the people reminded me strongly of characters from other Dreamworks pictures, the setting and creature animation was astounding. Disney take note: Dreamworks is one-upping you in the animation department! As the weapon of choice for most of the characters was a sword, fencing was quite prevalent throughout the movie. The characters do things with swords that you really shouldn't (see the above example of using it as a support), but all fighting was handled well, and relatively bloodlessly, more a sport than an actual manner of conquest. I was quite happy with how fencing was portrayed in this film. I can say very little against this film. Only slight bobbles with lines, time frame, and details keep me from giving it full marks. Well worth your time and money. Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us