Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

(2003)

I’ve never seen a Sinbad the Sailor movie that I didn’t like. The old franchise has some of the best stop-motion monsters in the industry by master of the craft, Ray Harryhausen. Many of these effects still hold up today and some of it looks better than effects we have in modern movies.

So how does Dreamworks’ animated Sinbad film compare?

It’s not bad. The artwork and animation is top notch. The constantly flowing hair of Eris, our deity villainess, is mesmerizing.

It’s a fantastic story too. Sinbad is, of course, a pirate but he runs into his childhood mate who still thinks the best of him.

They find themselves in a situation where Sinbad is being quite irrevocably framed for something and rather than letting the city officials execute him, his friend (who has some clout in this city) trusts Sinbad to make the issue right and offers himself up for incarceration and possible execution until Sinbad delivers.

Sinbad believes himself to be of unscrupulous character and intends to skedaddle without ever looking back, leaving his friend to rot. As you might expect however, his friend’s trust in him is not misplaced and Sinbad’s heart of gold gets the best of him. It’s not long before Sinbad sets out to prove all the other naysayers wrong but it isn’t going to be easy. Dang good movie!

Man, I love this message! It reminds me of Don Quixote. If you go around thinking the best of people and giving them a reputation to live up to, not judging them but really valuing them despite their own lack of self worth, people will want to live up to that reputation! And even if they don’t, they’ll at least remember you as one who believed in them. Wow! Sinbad is cool and all and kudos to him for making good choices but his friend!?! Holy crap! His friend was amazing! I want to embody those qualities.

Phenomenal story! Well done!