Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 24, 2018

Rarely have I seen a movie work as hard to tell a story as 1989’s “Sinbad of the Seven Seas.” The Italian production has a lot of sequences to get through, but no real way to tie everything together, offering intrusive narration to act as the illuminated lamp working through the editorial darkness, while the picture opens with an extended explanation that it’s an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade,” despite having almost nothing in common with the short story. “Sinbad of the Seven Seas” is a great many things, which immediately confuses the production, watching star Lou Ferrigno flex, bend, and smash enemies as Sinbad, but he’s no match for a feature that plays like a trailer, jumping from one adventure to the next without interest in establishing any connective tissue.

The great adventurer Sinbad (Lou Ferrigno) has arrived in Basra with his motley crew of warriors, but all is not well in the land. The evil sorcerer Jaffar (John Steiner) has taken control of the Caliph’s mind, kidnapping his daughter, Alina (Alessandra Martines), and bringing her to his secret lair, where the madman is building a brainwashing machine to be used on the royal woman. Sinbad’s friend, Prince Ali (Roland Wybenga), is betrothed to Allina and refuses to let Jaffar get away with his love, but in the melee, four scared gems of power are scattered by the villain to the far reaches of the world. Sinbad and his crew immediately set sail to retrieve the gems and crush Jaffar, but the mission proves to be more difficult than originally thought, with the famous sailor tasked with defeating a variety of enemies that fight to find Sinbad’s weaknesses.

“Sinbad of the Seven Seas” (distributed by Cannon Films in the U.S.) establishes a breathless style of narration through the introduction of a mother (Daria Nicolodi) reading a Sinbad bedtime story to her child, hoping to lull the kid into sleep with tales of high adventure featuring a bulky sailor and his merry band of misfits, including the unfortunately named Poochie and The Bald Cook. Turns out, the mom isn’t just sharing a few chapters from the book, but walking viewers through every inch of the effort, with her vocal presence carrying throughout the feature. It’s exposition on a level I’ve never seen before, watching the production depend on the mother to explain everything on screen, including the inner thoughts of the characters.

There’s a good reason for the hand-holding: nothing in “Sinbad of the High Seas” makes much sense. Reportedly shot in 1986 and reworked years later by a different director, the movie is incredibly disjointed, requiring the services of the mother to keep some sense of narrative momentum, with the central quest seemingly about the retrieval of colored gems powerful enough to defeat Jaffar, but the picture is more concerned with Sinbad’s individual travels, taking him to strange realms, often quite suddenly. The hero does battle with the undead and “Ghost Knights,” has a run-in with a rock monster, and succumbs to the pure pleasures of the Amazons (aka “Mind Vampires”). The best bit features Sinbad trapped inside a pit, requiring the services of friendly snakes, which he ties together to make a rope strong enough to make his escape. Now that’s something one doesn’t see every day.

Jaffar is a bizarre villain, and Steiner acts his heart out as the sorcerer, who hopes to acquire Alina through force, hooking her up to a futuristic brainwashing machine, also joined by Soukra, his disapproving partner (played by bodybuilder Teagan). He’s a crazed villain, and Jaffar offers an agreeable amount of insanity to an already wild picture, losing his cool with a master plan of punishment Sinbad keeps interrupting. Ferrigno also delivers passionate work, investing the fantasy of “Sinbad of the Seven Seas” in full. While he’s dubbed, the fire in his eyes remains, giving his all to the B-movie cause, selling the stuffing out of confrontations that involve men in cheap-looking rubber suits, perhaps believing he’s back making another “Hercules” installment.

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is source from an older master of "Sinbad of the Seven Seas." Fine detail is mostly soft throughout, but some close-ups deliver a small degree of texture. Locations and sets aren't defined to satisfaction, but they remain open for inspection. Colors are adequate, and enjoy the range of fantasy hues, with Jaffar's brainwashing machine pulsating with bright reds and greens, while costuming showcases satisfactory primaries. Skintones are natural, with Ferrigno's deep tan registering as intended. Delineation isn't problematic. Source shows some damage, with scratches and speckling common throughout the viewing experience, along with a few single-frame blotches.

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix announces itself with a blast of synth scoring, which retains its inherent thinness, maintaining authority and sonic identity throughout the listening event. Dialogue exchanges are thickened due to dubbing, but exposition is understood and dramatic intensity is communicated. Sound effects are basic, delivering intended action emphasis but offer limited heaviness.

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:09, SD) is included.

Sinbad of the Seven Seas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Sinbad of the Seven Seas" doesn't really have a beginning, middle, and end. It wanders around, occasionally finding something exciting to do, depending on the narrator to announce all goals and enemies, and periodically covering moments when the story takes a nap, losing interest in the sacred gem business. It's not a dramatically satisfying feature, but "Sinbad of the Seven Seas" has Ferrigno punching bad guys, bending objects, and smashing up property, and that's all there really is to the viewing experience. He's not exactly acting royalty, but Ferrigno has the physicality for the role, and his enthusiasm for the action is enjoyable. At least someone is happy to be around the material, which may or may not originate from the mind of Edgar Allen Poe, but it does handle with a certain element of horror, at least the editorial kind.