This is not your father’s Sinbad. The emphasis is on the Bad, very bad. Seek and ye shall find no Ray Harryhausen magic to carry you away to distant lands and grand adventure. Lou Ferrigno was much better as The Hulk than as Sinbad. His much too modern use of slang coupled with a wise-guy barrage of one-liners makes this a difficult film to watch. Trust me. This film is really bad. Most disturbing is the total lack of respect the producers of this mess show for the grand traditions of previous Sinbad films. There is no majesty and mystery. You will also quickly become annoyed with the narration. A woman is telling the story to her all too inquisitive child.There is only mockery and triteness. They even try to pass off some of Lou’s Hercules footage as new stuff shot for this film. Well, the film wasn’t what needed to be shot here.
Audio
All you get here is a basic mono audio track. The dialogue is clear but exhibits occasional high-end distortion. The entire production is marred by splatter. The score is an annoying 80’s synth sound.
Video
Sinbad is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. From the opening credits one is treated to a collection of print artifacts. The video is often soft and grainy. Blacks are shallow with little or no detail. In all this print is unremarkable to say the least.
Special Features
Just a trailer. The menus are simple. For some reason you can’t avoid going to the subtitles menu even if you opt out of it from the main menu.
Final Thoughts
I can’t say enough how disappointing I found this film. Like many of you, I grew up on the Harryhausen Sinbad films. It’s not just the lack of imaginative creatures and adventures I have a problem with. This character lacks any connection to any version of Sinbad in film or literature. The Disney cartoon was far more entertaining. I advise you simply stay away from this 1980’s mess and spend the time instead on one of the original films. To the filmmakers I can only say: “Go back where you came from, you evil filthy spirit”.
