Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

(The Dreamworks-uary logo is shown, before showing clips from *Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas*)

Doug (vo): Probably the low point of any *Sinbad* movie is Sinbad himself. He's not an especially interesting hero, it's more of the creepy creatures that he comes across and the fantastical elements. So when I saw *Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas*, I was definitely keeping that in mind. And in many respects, this Sinbad is pretty much the same. He's good-looking, a swashbuckler, has sort of a Brad Pitt personality...which figures, 'cause he's played by Brad Pitt...and they sadly really cop out with some lines like...

Sinbad: (various scenes) Pretty cool, huh? / That's exactly why women shouldn't drive. / Uh, yeah.

Doug (vo): But as the film continued, I found that the less it sort of tailored to...

Sinbad: Uh, yeah.

Doug (vo): ...that, the more fun and creative it got. When it wanted to treat itself like a real action-adventure, it felt like a real action-adventure, maybe even up there with some of the original film series.

## Story

Doug (vo): The story? Sinbad is a thief who comes across an old friend who's a prince. He has this magic book that...I'll be very honest, I have no idea what it does, it's just sort of an important book...that must be kept safe in order for all the kingdoms to survive. But Eris, the Goddess of Fucking Things Up, decides she wants to do exactly that, and steals the book for herself. Everyone thinks Sinbad did it, but his best friend, the prince, thinks he didn't. So he offers up his life in exchange for Sinbad to go and get the book back. If he doesn't, then the prince is dead. Along the way, he's joined by a stowaway, played by *[Speaks in the same tone as he did as the Nostalgia Critic when he says her name]* Catherine Zeta-Jones, who's going to marry the prince, which, of course, makes her the stereotypical prince-- *[The caption "Ambassador" is shown]* Ambassador? Ohhh. So, she actually has a title of responsibility and does shit. Okay, I'm-I'm cool with that. She, of course, has to prove to Sinbad that she can handle herself, and, maybe even Sinbad.

## Review

Doug (vo): The film definitely sort of moves like a *Sinbad* adventure, in that it's just sort of an action-packed road trip. They sail the seven seas, come across a bunch of weird creatures and fight them off in order to get to their goal. And as far as those action scenes go, they're not bad. They're actually a lot of fun to watch and very creative. The characters, at times, succumb to sort of the typical clichés, like, the couple yelling at each other when, of course, you know they're gonna get together, those horrible modern-day catchphrases which, like I said, aren't often, but when they do, they stick out like a sore thumb, and once in a while, a CG monster that looks just a little too fake.

*[The villain of the movie, Eris, the Goddess of Chaos, is shown]*

Doug (vo): But let's get down to what the best element of the movie is: the villain. Oh, not that Eris is a particularly complex character or really even that interesting, but, by God! Look at the animation on her! The way she moves, the way she teleports, the way she shifts shapes. I don't know who the animation team was that worked on her, but give them all frigging Oscars. This stuff looks wonderful! She moves as if she can be anything or anywhere. Her pets are literally the constellations that come to life. The world she lives in is a mystical marvel. It's just...oh! Every single time she's onscreen, I just loved it, every single second! Like, look at this here. She's supposed to turn into Sinbad and steal the book. Now obviously, you could have her just shape shift or walk behind a wall and she comes out as Sinbad or something, but look at this. She makes a puppet version of Sinbad and then slips into his skin. Ju...who would even think of that? It's just, that kind of creativity is spectacular! And actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who does the voice, obviously *loves* eating up the role. But like I said, the animation on her alone is worth it.

## Final thought

Doug (vo): So, on the whole, *Sinbad* is...fun. It does leave room for some character development, it goes at a pretty enjoyable pace, and knows when to show monsters and when to let people just be people. I'd say there isn't really that epic quality that a lot of the other *Sinbad* movies had, but there's definitely more a personality to it, and I think that makes up for it. It's a swashbuckling tale with a lot of creativity and some great animation, and no black comedians looking for Turbo Man dolls. That's enough for me to say, take a look.

*[The final scene of the movie, showing Sinbad's ship sailing away to the sunrise, is shown]*