6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Sinbad must deliver a prince transformed into a monkey to the lands of the Ademaspai to restore him to his human form in time for his coronation. On the way he must contend with the evil witch Zenobia, her son and their magic, and several nasty-looking Ray Harryhausen beasties.
Starring: Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Margaret Whiting (II), Jane Seymour, Patrick TroughtonDrama | Insignificant |
Family | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
While 2013 might be remembered by a lot of film fans for the losses of stars like Peter O'Toole or Paul Walker or James Gandolfini, for those with an interest in the “below the line” (to use show business parlance) craftsmen, perhaps the saddest death of the year was Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen at least lived to the ripe old age of 92, but his passing seemed to be a none too subtle reminder that the days of practical special effects may largely be a thing of the past. Stop motion animation still has its adherents of course, as my hometown of Portland has proven with the former Claymation Studios which morphed into Laika and produced such recent outings as Coraline and ParaNorman, and with such well known filmmakers as Tim Burton (Frankenweenie) and Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection) continuing to ply their craft in this medium. But with the increasing dependence on CGI for virtually all visual effects these days, stop motion is seen as something almost intentionally ironic and “retro”, a throwback rather than an evolving art form. Harryhausen will no doubt remain the single best known artisan in this medium, one who gave hordes of baby boomers some of their most memorable cinematic thrills in films like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. His two 1970s era Sinbad films aren’t usually listed at the top of his impressive oeuvre, but they’re both hugely enjoyable on a basic level and they each offer substantial delights in the now arcane methodology of “Dynamation”.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While this is another generally great looking high definition transfer, it doesn't quite have the pop and luster that The Golden Voyage of Sinbad does. Contrast isn't quite as strong here, giving some of the darker scenes a slightly murky quality with a minimal lack of shadow detail. Fine detail is still quite good, however, revealing nice elements like the wiry hair of the baboon or the crosshatched weave of Melanthius' cloak. The special effects on this film are a mixed bag, and the Blu-ray actually exacerbates some of the issues inherent here, including some pretty shoddy looking traveling mattes. As with the other Sinbad film, this release has the expected added grain and softness during the many optical effects sequences.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is decently immersive, if not quite as impressive as that found on The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Some of the action scenes have nicely discrete foley effects dotting the surrounds, but the major surround activity is given over to Roy Budd's kind of middling score (Budd was a fantastic pianist, but he is certainly not in the same league as Bernard Herrmann or Miklos Rozsa). Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented with excellent fidelity. As should be expected in a fantasy outing like this one, dynamic range is quite wide.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger has some passing pleasures to be sure, but it simply feels like a tired retread of previous Harryhausen films quite a bit of the time. Its best elements are its colorful supporting cast and the unusual use of an "animal" Harryhausen creation in the form of a baboon. Some fans are perhaps understandably upset at some faux pas both relatively small (the cover art is reversed) and perhaps larger (Harryhausen evidently recorded new commentaries for his films shortly before his death, which weren't used on this or the other release), but the bigger problem here is the kind of lackluster quality of the film itself. Fans will no doubt be willing to overlook these qualms simply because the film looks and sounds fine and the joy of reliving this final Sinbad adventure in high definition probably outweighs any other considerations.
Limited Edition to 3000 | SOLD OUT
1973
1958
Ray Harryhausen Signature Collection
1963
Limited Edition to 3000
1960
1983
1981
1989
2019
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1961
1982
2016
1987
1982
2014
1985
Flesh and Blood
1985
1997
2014
1940
1981