"I pull one tiny thread and the whole world unravels into chaos. Let
the games begin!" chortles the wickedly mischievous, sultry Goddess
Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer). And so begins this animated Arabian Nights-meets-the
Greek fable of Damon & Pythius.
Sinbad (Brad Pitt) is a swash-buckling pirate who covets the most
precious object in the world: The Book of Peace. He's about to swipe
it when he discovers a childhood friend, Prince Proteus (Joseph Fiennes),
has guaranteed its safe delivery to Syracuse. Sinbad's a rogue but
- to his dismay - he has some scruples so he passes up the opportunity.
Loving to stir up trouble, the villainous Eris, disguised as Sinbad,
steals the precious Book. When Sinbad is blamed and sentenced to die,
noble Proteus offers to take his place so Sinbad can retrieve the
sacred text before the scheduled execution. But when Sinbad sets sail
for Tartarus, Eris' domain, he finds a stowaway, Proteus' feisty fiancee
Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who's eager for adventure.
Written by John Logan and directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore,
there are several really exciting sequences as they battle Eris' "pets":
a sea monster, waves of sand, and Roc, a huge snowbird - all inspired
by constellations from the night sky. And after being told, "A ship
is no place for a woman," it's brave Marina who steers Sinbad and
his besotted crew away from the watery, seductive Sirens. Inevitably,
romantic sparks fly as Sinbad and Marina engage in battle-of-the-sexes
banter. Combining atmospheric CGI backgrounds with superbly hand-drawn
figures, the animation is breath-taking. On the Granger Movie Gauge
of 1 to 10, "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" is a free-wheeling,
fun-filled, eye-popping 8. Set sail for a summer adventure!
Copyright © 2003 Susan Granger