rom her realm among the stars, Eris (Pfeiffer), the goddess of discord, spies a pair of ships that immediately pique her interest. One belongs to Proteus (Fiennes), the noble prince of Syracuse, and carries a magical artifact called the Book of Peace. The other is the Chimera, captained by the infamous rogue known as Sinbad (Pitt). Eris knows that Sinbad intends to steal the book from his former childhood friend and seizes the opportunity to wreak some chaos.
Eris sends a sea monster to attack the ships, thwarting Sinbad's theft attempt. She saves him from drowning, then appears to him and asks him to steal the book for her instead. He agrees, but changes his mind when he arrives in Syracuse and meets Proteus' fiance, Marina (Zeta-Jones). Reminded of the duty that ended his friendship with the prince, Sinbad returns to his ship downhearted and abandons his plan to steal the book.
Eris, however, still wants the book and steals it herself, posing as Sinbad. Convicted of the crime, Sinbad is sentenced to death, but Proteus intervenes on his behalf. He offers his life in exchange for Sinbad's freedom. If Sinbad can retrieve the book and bring it back within 10 days, they will both be spared.
Once set free, Sinbad has no intention of returning to Syracuse. Marina, however, has stowed away aboard the Chimera to ensure that he fulfills his promise. It takes only a handful of gems to change his mind, and soon Sinbad, Marina and the ship's crew are headed for the realm of chaos to steal the book back from Eris. The goddess, however, is well aware of their intentions and has plenty of obstacles at her disposal to enliven their perilous journey.
A high-seas adventure barely worth its salt
Ex-Disney executive and Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is clearly eager to equal his former company's success in the animated film genre, both creatively and financially. Sinbad may be Dreamworks' best effort yet, but it still does not exhibit the attention to detail and level of quality that have come to be associated with Disney. Although the character design and animation approach the Disney standard, they fall well short of even the recent box office disappointment Treasure Planet. Unlike that film, which seamlessly blended traditional animation with CGI elements, the distinctions between the two are obvious and often jarring here.
With source material as rich as the Sinbad legend, one would think that screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, Star Trek Nemesis) would have a veritable treasure trove of stories to choose from about the infamous Middle Eastern anti-hero. It seems odd, then, that the story told in this particular version is a clumsy amalgam of Greek myths, previous cinematic inventions and original ideas that don't quite mesh. What's more, the plot is so full of holes that if it were a boat it would hardly be considered seaworthy.
What saves Sinbad from total mediocrity is the strong performances of the stellar voice cast. Although it's disconcerting at first to hear Brad Pitt's voice coming from an animated character that looks nothing like him, Sinbad quickly takes on a life of his own. Pitt's characteristic charm and wit shine through without overwhelming. His ongoing banter with Zeta-Jones as the feisty Marina is reminiscent of classic big-screen love-hate relationships from Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn to Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Pfeiffer, too, adds dimension to the sultry yet sinister goddess of discord.
The problem is, such great voice performances only serve to highlight the limited range of expression of the animated characters on the screen. They often seem angular and wooden compared to their voices, which are full of life, humor and emotion. The spectacular CGI sequences may be fun to watch, but even the best ones—including a harrowing encounter with a group of creatively imagined sirens—don't create an emotional connection to the film or serve the story the way well-written, well-drawn and well-voiced characters do. Unfortunately, one out of three is not enough for the film to be a success.
