Rating: ***
Review Date: 2/20/11
Special Effects: Ray Harryhausen
Cast: John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker
A fun and lightweight Sinbad adventure that rides on the charms of Ray Harryhausen's fabulous effects work as well as its attractive cast. Sinbad (hunky John Phillip Law) is sailing around minding his own business when a flying homunculus runs into his ship bearing a golden amulet. The amulet gives Sinbad nightmares and ultimately leads him to a mysterious island where he meets the evil wizard Koura (Tom Baker) and a kind Grand Vizier. The amulet turns out to be a piece in a puzzle that will lead the possessor to great fortunes. Not one to turn down such a prize, Sinbad heads off to the fabled land of Lemuria to find the remaining piece of the puzzle, with a bewitching slave girl named Margiana (lovely Caroline Munro) in tow.
Ray Harryhausen's visual effects are wonderful as always, and the dance of Kali is absolutely mesmerizing. The delightful Caroline Munro and her barely contained bosom are also mesmerizing, and she gives the special effects a run for their money in the eye candy department. John Phillip Law looks great and makes a serviceable Sinbad, but his faux accent is laughably bad. Tom Baker goes over the top as a wicked bad guy, which fits in nicely with the overall tone of the film. The stop-motion critters are a lot of fun, but the one-eyed centaur and gryphon seemed a bit weak in my opinion. In the end, it's more of what we've come to expect from Charles Schneer and Ray Harryhausen, which is fun and light-hearted high adventure that sparks the imagination of youth.