The Golden Voyage of Sinbad follows the legendary sailor as he races against a dark sorcerer to an ancient land. Sinbad and his crew are aided by two golden tablets which contain clues to finding a treasure beyond any of their imaginations.
Some may consider this film a cheesy, old, over-the-top, episodic waste of time. Well that is all correct, aside from the waste of time. This is a fun and nostalgic film, and contains some terrific stop motion animation from Ray Harryhausen.
John Phillip Law plays Sinbad in this version of the story. He adopts a somewhat convincing accent. This makes him a little more believable than his eventual successor Patrick Wayne. Although not as energetic or enjoyable. He gives a passable performance, but he is overshadowed very easily by his more interesting supporting cast. Caroline Monroe and Douglas Wilmer are worthwhile in this film. Their performances show commitment to the subject matter, which could be very difficult to take seriously. Although it can be frustrating that their characters Margiana and the Vizier are not developed in any way past their uses to advance the plot. Kurt Christian does his job as comic relief, although his character Haroun's dialogue is where most of the cheesiness comes from.
Tom Baker, who would later gain worldwide popularity as the Fourth Doctor on the iconic British science fiction series Doctor Who, portrays the main antagonist of the film, Prince Koura. Tom Baker gives a joyfully over-the-top performance in this film. His memorizing voice will distract you enough from the fact that a lot of what he is saying is pure gibberish. There is a particular scene where Koura is controlling a creature aboard Sinbad's ship from a distance, and he does not move from his chair the whole time, but his pure commitment to the intensity and pain of the scene would make anyone think he was really there, experiencing every moment. Baker seems to be both charming and slimy in this film and it makes for a very intriguing performance.
There is not much to say for the story of this film. However, the story has a nostalgic feeling to it. It is almost better than most modern fantasy films because of the simplicity of the script. The beautiful production design and clever animation make up well for the lack of compelling writing.
The final set piece of the fountain is particularity well done. It is gorgeous to look at and very well built. Although some of the scene is obvious green screen, it integrates well with the action and the set remains pretty enough to look at.
Almost all of the worthwhile material in this film comes from Tom Baker's performance and the animation from industry pro Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen, of course, was the most well known animator of the time. He was known for his imaginative creatures and almost flawless stop motion techniques that melded with the films so well. I was first introduced to this film as a child in the 90s, and the effects seemed more interesting to me than dated. Which in later years got me thinking that stop motion may be the only timeless for of special effect, because of the sheer amount of effort it takes.
Sidenote: I would like to mention Koura's theme music composed by Miklos Rozsa, every time I see this film, this particular piece of the score gets completely stuck in my head. It is energetic and perfectly befitting an over-the-top villain such as Prince Koura.
Overall this is a fun adventure film, probably more for the film buffs among us than the general crowd. The effects are brilliant, as Mr. Harryhausen's always we're. The story has a nostalgic feel. Tom Baker gives a very fun performance to watch, and an intriguing villain at that. I give the film 7 out of ten for a couple of reasons: 1: The classic feel of the film. 2: Tom Baker's terrific performance as the evil Prince Koura. 3: The production design and sets are fantastic. 4:MOST IMPORTANTLY! Ray Harryhausen's unique special effects and creature designs.
The film loses points due to the following: 1: The script is cheesy and for the most part uninteresting. 2: The story is very episodic. 3: John Phillip Law seems for the most part disinterested when playing Sinbad, aside from his accent. 4:The comedy in the film feels tacked on.
Some may consider this film a cheesy, old, over-the-top, episodic waste of time. Well that is all correct, aside from the waste of time. This is a fun and nostalgic film, and contains some terrific stop motion animation from Ray Harryhausen.
John Phillip Law plays Sinbad in this version of the story. He adopts a somewhat convincing accent. This makes him a little more believable than his eventual successor Patrick Wayne. Although not as energetic or enjoyable. He gives a passable performance, but he is overshadowed very easily by his more interesting supporting cast. Caroline Monroe and Douglas Wilmer are worthwhile in this film. Their performances show commitment to the subject matter, which could be very difficult to take seriously. Although it can be frustrating that their characters Margiana and the Vizier are not developed in any way past their uses to advance the plot. Kurt Christian does his job as comic relief, although his character Haroun's dialogue is where most of the cheesiness comes from.
Tom Baker, who would later gain worldwide popularity as the Fourth Doctor on the iconic British science fiction series Doctor Who, portrays the main antagonist of the film, Prince Koura. Tom Baker gives a joyfully over-the-top performance in this film. His memorizing voice will distract you enough from the fact that a lot of what he is saying is pure gibberish. There is a particular scene where Koura is controlling a creature aboard Sinbad's ship from a distance, and he does not move from his chair the whole time, but his pure commitment to the intensity and pain of the scene would make anyone think he was really there, experiencing every moment. Baker seems to be both charming and slimy in this film and it makes for a very intriguing performance.
There is not much to say for the story of this film. However, the story has a nostalgic feeling to it. It is almost better than most modern fantasy films because of the simplicity of the script. The beautiful production design and clever animation make up well for the lack of compelling writing.
The final set piece of the fountain is particularity well done. It is gorgeous to look at and very well built. Although some of the scene is obvious green screen, it integrates well with the action and the set remains pretty enough to look at.
Almost all of the worthwhile material in this film comes from Tom Baker's performance and the animation from industry pro Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen, of course, was the most well known animator of the time. He was known for his imaginative creatures and almost flawless stop motion techniques that melded with the films so well. I was first introduced to this film as a child in the 90s, and the effects seemed more interesting to me than dated. Which in later years got me thinking that stop motion may be the only timeless for of special effect, because of the sheer amount of effort it takes.
Sidenote: I would like to mention Koura's theme music composed by Miklos Rozsa, every time I see this film, this particular piece of the score gets completely stuck in my head. It is energetic and perfectly befitting an over-the-top villain such as Prince Koura.
Overall this is a fun adventure film, probably more for the film buffs among us than the general crowd. The effects are brilliant, as Mr. Harryhausen's always we're. The story has a nostalgic feel. Tom Baker gives a very fun performance to watch, and an intriguing villain at that. I give the film 7 out of ten for a couple of reasons: 1: The classic feel of the film. 2: Tom Baker's terrific performance as the evil Prince Koura. 3: The production design and sets are fantastic. 4:MOST IMPORTANTLY! Ray Harryhausen's unique special effects and creature designs.
The film loses points due to the following: 1: The script is cheesy and for the most part uninteresting. 2: The story is very episodic. 3: John Phillip Law seems for the most part disinterested when playing Sinbad, aside from his accent. 4:The comedy in the film feels tacked on.