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Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
By Nell Minow,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun, if standard, animated adventure with battles, innuendo.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Eris is one amazing villain
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What's the Story?
In SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS, the goddess of chaos, Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer) wants to remove the famed Book of Peace so that she can sow discord and ruin throughout the Twelve Cities. Sinbad (Brad Pitt) and his crew are good-hearted pirates seeking adventure and fortune to realize their dream of retiring to the beaches of Fiji. When Sinbad attempts to steal the all-important Book in order to ransom it for his sandy paradise, he finds himself crossing swords with his childhood friend, Proteus (Joseph Fiennes). Eris frames Sinbad for the theft of the Book, leaving Proteus -- believing in his friend's innocence -- to step in as Sinbad's proxy in jail. Sinbad, with Proteus' fiance Marina (Catherine Zeta Jones) as observer, must find a way to retrieve the Book within ten days or Proteus will be executed.
Is It Any Good?
This is a swashbuckling romp of a movie, with a couple of clever plot tweaks and some jaw-dropping animation. It may actually exceed the low expectations you might have for the hundredth remake of the Sinbad legend. Is this a great movie? No. But with a bag of popcorn and an open mind, this flick will provide a fine getaway on the open seas. Dreamworks combined three-dimensional computer generated images for the background with two-dimensional characters crossing swords and swinging from ropes in the foreground, to stunning effect. The characters themselves are cut from standard issue Disney cloth, and no animated movie these days would be complete without an animal side-kick, here it's slobbering bulldog Spike.
You might feel like you have been here before and in many ways you have. The fast pace, lovely animation, and zingy dialogue will not distract you for long from noticing that there is little new or noteworthy in these 84 minutes of dazzle. However, there is a nice little message about friendship and duty here, which, teamed with ocean adventure, make this movie a sea-worthy vessel for the easy sailing of summer entertainment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the bond of friendship and what it means to believe in someone, even when they do not believe in themselves.
What do you know about the legend of Sinbad? Go to the library or online to find out more about his story.
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 2, 2003
- On DVD or streaming: November 18, 2003
- Cast: Brad Pitt , Catherine Zeta-Jones , Michelle Pfeiffer
- Director: Tim Johnson
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: DreamWorks
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
- Run time: 83 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: adventure action, some mild sensuality and brief language
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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