Dir.
Patrick Gilmore & Tim Johnson, 2003, US, 85 mins Voices:
Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert
There was a time when heroes were the good guys. In the latest outing from Dreamworks, the titular hero is a bit of a selfish cad who covets his best friend's fiancée, does a runner and turns to piracy as a means of overcoming this unfortunate situation, and very nearly allows said best friend to be executed in his name. Yes, this Sinbad, in keeping with the new breed of hero in the vein of Spiderman, Daredevil, and the Hulk, has a dark side to his personality, and it is this that makes him a far more interesting and well-rounded protagonist.
But enough about what will keep the grown-ups enthralled. What younger audiences want to know is - is it any good? The short answer is yes. In this tale, Sinbad (voiced by Brad Pitt) is the friend of Prince Proteus (Joseph Fiennes) of Syracuse. So much of a friend is he that he feels compelled to flee the kingdom rather than cope with the terrible jealousy he feels when he first sets eyes on the beautiful Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Proteus's betrothed. Sinbad teams up with Kale, a giant, and together they become pirates on the high seas. This new occupation brings Sinbad to cross paths with Proteus once more. He attempts to steal 'The Book of Peace' from Proteus' ship, a sacred text that protects Syracuse from evil. He fails but his actions incur the wrath of Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer), the Goddess of Chaos, leaving both ships to face a behemoth of a sea monster, and Sinbad to be imprisoned and condemned to death by Proteus' father, the King of Syracuse. However, Proteus believes Sinbad's protestations that he is innocent and agrees to take his place for 10 days whilst the pirate is allowed to seek and return the book. Sinbad almost considers not fulfilling his part of the bargain, until he discovers that he has an extra sailing companion - a lovely, strong-headed girl called Marina.
The swashbuckling tales of Sinbad, with their daring high adventure and exotic locations, lend themselves very well to animation, and the cell-animated forms (the more traditional, 'painterly' animation of yesteryear) against CGI backgrounds work well together. The themes of goodness, truth and love-conquering-all retain a universal, timeless appeal, even if the script is slightly weak in places, whilst the elements of the fantastic - the fabulous beasts and the sense of awe we feel as, for example, when the ship sails off the edge of the world - elicit a delicious tingle down the spine that will satisfy the childlike wonder in everyone.
The film moves at a fast pace, with plenty of action, making this good all-round family entertainment.
Jean Lynch
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