dreamworks

DreamWorks Gives and Takes in One Week (Megamind 2 and Kung fu Panda 4…)

| Rachel's Reviews

DreamWorks as a studio is in a very weird place. Where their rival Disney is having a decidedly low moment DreamWorks is a mess of high and low quality releases with no seeming through-line between the movies and what they are doing with their brand. This was never more true than this week when we got 2 widely diverging sequels- both which nobody really asked for in the first place. Plus, we got Orion and the Dark a couple of weeks ago which they dumped on Netflix with hardly any publicity as if it was garbage (it wasn’t.) And who can forget last year when Ruby Gilman: Teenage Kraken was treated terribly by the studio and even Trolls: Band Together wasn’t given the publicity campaign you’d expect with that franchise (and it was terrible.)

Well let’s talk about the 2 sequels from this week:

Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate


Everyone knows I am a big fan of the original Megamind. I’ve always felt it got unfairly lost in the wave of Minions and Despicable Me hype even though it is the superior of the two films. I even have the artbook for the original Megamind. I find it funny, inventive with great vocal performances.

Unfortunately DreamWorks did not live up to the legacy of the original with this terrible sequel. It fails in pretty much every respect and isn’t even enjoyable as a cheap introduction to the upcoming Megamind Rules television series.

It’s admittedly tough to craft a hero story around Megamind but what they come up with is so bland that the 85 minute runtime felt punishing. It isn’t funny and the loss of our original voicecast is not only obvious but a clear sign of a lack of investment by DreamWorks. I rarely use the word cash-grab but it is accurate in this instance.

I know some will say ‘but it’s just a direct to streaming movie. You shouldn’t have expected much.’ I review TV movies for a living and some of them are great. Just because something is cheap doesn’t necessarily mean it is devoid of creativity or laughs- an engaging script is very cheap! If I was laughing I wouldn’t care about the different voices or the weak animation. Heck I’m someone that LOVED Son of Bigfoot and that looks like a direct to dvd animated film from the outside but it’s actually great!

The fact is DreamWorks took Megamind and made junk and that offends me as an animation fan, critic and lover of the original film. How dare they!

0 out of 10- this sucks and I’m mad at them about it!

Frown Worthy

Kung fu Panda 4

If there is a franchise from DreamWorks that is underrated it has to be Kung Fu Panda. I recently saw the first one on the big screen at Maven Cinemas and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s funny and Po isa very likable character.

In my opinion all of the Kung fu Panda movies have been solid and I think I even enjoyed the last one more than most. I loved the story of Po and his 2 Dads and what it had to say. Now we have a 4th movie and once again they’ve made a solid entertaining entry in the series.

In this situation Po is asked to successor to him as the Dragon Warrior and he isn’t comfortable in the teacher/master role. He doesn’t like change, which I think all of us can relate with. Then he meets a fox (who looks like a wolf) named Zhen voiced by Awkwafina and they confront a villain named The Chameleon voiced with gleeful abandon by Viola Davis.

This is not a plot that will surprise or blow anyone away but it’s sweet and entertaining. I liked the way it was able to bring in the previous 3 films in both subtle and non-subtle ways and the script provided a good mixture of laughs and sweet moments. The animation and music are also up to the standards of the series. I really couldn’t ask for much more from a Kung fu Panda 4.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. The crazy thing is we have another DreamWorks film coming out later this year called The Wild Robot. It’s wild!

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Current Mini Reviews- Orion and the Dark, American Fiction, Lisa Frankenstein, Bob Marley: One Love, Molli and Max: In the Future

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey everyone! First I want to apologize for being so late in getting you my Sundance recap. It’s 28 films and taking me longer to get it done than I hoped for. In the meantime I have some other films to catch you up on. So let’s get to it! 

Orion and the Dark

Due to its Netflix-only strategy I predict Orion and the Dark will end up being one of the more under-appreciated films of 2024. And this is a real shame because it’s a special little animated film from DreamWorks. It tells the story of a little boy named Orion who has high anxiety. One day in the midst of his panic he meets his greatest fear personified- The Dark. They then go on a journey together to help him overcome his fears.

The script for this film is written by Charlie Kaufman of Adaptation fame and his imprint is all over the place. The way it addresses anxiety with honesty and empathy is wonderful for kids (second movie this year to do so with Inside Out 2 coming out with a character named Anxiety.) I also loved the animation with a similar flat style that we saw in Abominable or Captain Underpants (both underrated.)

I also had the pleasure of interviewing the composers for this movie after I saw it and that interview will be on Rachel’s Reviews youtube and at rotoscopers.com later this week. I wish we could have seen Orion and the Dark on the big screen but it’s definitely worth a watch over at Netflix. I think it will not only entertain but help kids process their feelings in a very positive way. Love it!

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy

 American Fiction

I finally checked American Fiction off my to-watch list this week. It’s not that I’d been avoiding it. I just missed the screening and this time of year once you miss it it’s hard to catch up! Overall, I really enjoyed this lively little piece of satire. It’s at its strongest when it is poking fun at academia and literary hipster circles. It’s less effective when it tries to be about the lead character “Monk’s” family and personal life. That felt more cliched and tired.

Still, the performances are excellent especially Jeffrey Wright in the lead. He’s trying to do the right thing but also the world keeps telling him they don’t want his best- they want the cliched book he wrote as a joke. It’s kind of funny in a way that it’s up for all these awards because the script criticizes the very people who vote for such awards! It’s very ironic. Nevertheless, this is a good example of how you can do contemporary satire effectively and keep it funny/non-woke for lack of a better word. I’d watch it again and I can’t say that about that many movies like this. Erika Alexander, who I used to love on The Cosby Show is excellent as Monk’s girlfriend.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Molli and Max: In the Future

Last year one of my favorite movies at SXSW Film Festival was Molli and Max: In the Future. I had the chance to rewatch this clever take on When Harry Met Sally in space and I still really enjoyed it. In fact, I’ve kept in touch with the director Michael Litwak over this year and recently had him on the Hallmarkies Podcast to talk about the movie. I really enjoyed our discussion about the movie and rom-coms in general. Check it out above or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The movie itself is very inventive and fresh. I can’t believe all they were able to do on a nothing budget creating a unique and immersive world that feels like Doctor Who meets Tron. There are some segments that drag a little too long like a section on a reality game show but even there the world-building is creative enough to keep me invested. Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari are wonderful in the leads and their friendship and chemistry is believable.

If Molli and Max is playing near you I’d love for you to support it. It’s the kind of bootstrap filmmaking with hard and humor I’d love to encourage and support. A gem of 2024.

9 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Lisa Frankenstein

Next I saw Lisa Frankenstein which is a genre mashup romantic comedy, horror film in the vein of Edward Scissorhands, Shaun of the Dead or Warm Bodies. I don’t think this is as strong as any of those films but there was enough positives for me to recommend.

The best thing about this film is the aesthetic and enjoyable performances. It is set in 1989 and it really feels like a creature of that time in all its aesthetics. I also liked all of the performances especially Kathryn Newton as Lisa and Cole Sprouse as the Frankenstein. Carla Gugino and Liza Soberano are great in supporting roles. The dry sense of humor in the script by Diablo Cody is also pretty entertaining.

The problem lies in the story. The script doesn’t give them enough to do. It seemed like a lot of the movie is just the characters hanging around the house waiting for something to happen. It’s also not as effective a love story as it could have been because Lisa’s pining away for a different boy most of the movie. Recently I saw Your Monster at Sundance and that was a much better genre mashup. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this enough for a mild recommendation. If it seems like your thing than you’ll enjoy yourself.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Bob Marley: One Love

Finally we have a new musical biopic about reggae legend Bob Marley called Bob Marley: One Love. Unfortunately this is a by the numbers biopic that doesn’t give us much new that we didn’t already know about Bob or the music he created. The biggest insight I gained was learning about how he died (I’ve always heard he died of a stubbed toe that got infected but it was evidently cancer that came from the stubbed toe.

The leads are decent with Kingsley Ben-Adir and I suppose if you are a big fan who knows nothing about Bob Marley it might be entertaining enough at home but I mostly was bored and wishing it would wrap it up sooner.

4 out of 10

Frown Worthy

So there you have it. What about you? What have you been enjoying at the theater or on streaming? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’ or Turning Kraken Surprisingly Works

| Rachel's Reviews

One of my more controversial reviews of recent memory is my thoughts on Pixar’s Turning Red which I liked in concept but thought was executed poorly. I particularly really disliked the Mother character in the film but it wasn’t just that. The panda metaphor fell apart on careful analysis and required audience members to fill in too many gaps when it came to how the embrace of the panda worked and what it meant for teens who can’t choose to experience puberty. It just happens whether they like it or not. It was a film surprisingly unhelpful to teens giving them a catchphrase and nothing more.

Now we have from DreamWorks a very similar story but given the execution I wanted from Turning Red: It’s called Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Does it have its flaws? Sure but at its core is a carefully told story that teens will actually be able to relate with, a non-messy metaphor and story with humor at every turn.

Ruby is a kraken who tries to assimilate with her high school environment. She wants to fit in and go to prom but it is being held on a boat on the ocean and her mother (Toni Collette) forbids her from going on or near the ocean. Unlike the Mom being unreasonable in Turning Red, this makes sense and is logical. The Mother character is trying to protect her daughter but she’s not hiding anything from her. Ruby can see that but she still wants to do the activities of her peers- also reasonable. What mother/daughter relationship can’t relate to that? She also has a crush on a boy (and isn’t shamed for it like Mei is in Turning Red) she tutors (it’s actually really sweet and I like that the boy isn’t weirded out at all by her being a kraken. What a great diversity message of true natural acceptance), and she deals with a new friend named Chelsea who may have a secret motive that is spoiled in the trailer. Friendship is such a tricky thing at those ages so I appreciated what they did with that relationship and her other friends as well even if the plot turn was predictable.

I do think Ruby Gillman is less successful when it gets bogged down in the goings-on of Ruby’s Grandmamah (Jane Fonda) who rules over the sea. It’s less successful narrative-wise and animation-wise but it’s still narratively consistent and while generic it at least makes sense for the characters (unlike much of recent Pixar where they are all about concepts over narrative.)

The voice cast is all excellent here with Lana Condor providing a bright voice for Ruby, and I loved the claymation aesthetic to the character designs out of the water (again less successful in the water.) Evidently one of the writers Pam Brady also wrote for South Park and you can feel the sharp comic timing (not in grown-up content of South Park but the smart writing), and again I appreciate that the conflict and story all made sense for our characters. Even though Ruby is a kraken we can all relate to feeling out of place, confused, frustrated, without it becoming all of who we are. She is a nuanced, easy to relate with character that boys and girls, teens of any gender (or non-binary) anybody will connect with and understand. We’ve all been there trying to fit in and trying to obey our parents and be true to ourselves all at the same time.

It’s a shame Ruby Gillman is being buried by DreamWorks and Universal because I think they have something special here, and I really enjoyed it. This is well done storytelling with good characters, a charming script, and a story that tackles the challenges of adolescence with just the right touch. The more I’ve thought about it the more I admire it. Give it a chance. Take your family. You just might love it.

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy

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“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is My Wish Come True

| Rachel's Reviews

Going into 2022 I can tell you one thing- I did not expect to prefer both DreamWorks films over both Pixar (and Disney) films and to be crowning one of them as my favorite movie of 2022…and yet here we are. Even more surprising is that film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a sequel in a franchise that has well exceeded its welcome. This is why I always go into a movie hoping to be dazzled with what the filmmakers have to offer.

I’ve long said the match of Antonio Banderas with the character of Puss in Boots is one of the best uses of celebrity voices ever. This is not movie star stunt casting but a perfect match of voice to character. Banderas continues that tradition here voicing the famous feline to perfection. Giving just the right amount of moxie mixed with a little bit of fatigue from using all those lives.
In fact, Puss in Boots learns at the start of The Last Wish that he only has 1 more of his 9 lives left. Being accident-prone, he better get the most of his last life and learn to work with others before it’s too late.
One aspect that’s interesting about this film is that it actually has a lot of similarities with the recent GDT’s Pinocchio. Both deal with death and the afterlife as a theme, have a wood-spirit type creature that controls access to heaven, and both have stunning animation.

The only main difference is that GDT has songs and gets bogged down a little bit in the middle, sending Pinocchio to war. This is why I’d give The Last Wish the slight edge in my ranking (but both top 10 of the year at the moment).
Like I said, the animation is astonishing in The Last Wish. I am absolutely enamored by recent animation trends began by Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. The way the hybrid animation ebbs and flows between 2D and CG is breathtaking and makes every scene memorable – especially the action. When Puss in Boots is sliding across rooftops chasing people, it took my breath away.

But it’s not all action. We have meaningful conversations about what makes a worthy life, how we can recover from grief, and the importance of friendship. There’s also a lot of humor from Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek.), and the selfish Goldilocks (Florence Pugh).
Looking at a movie like Puss in Boots: the Last Wish, I worry people will dismiss it as a cash-grab sequel, but you shouldn’t. Just the animation alone is worth the cost of admission, but the script by Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow is outstanding. I actually haven’t seen it on the big screen yet (saw screener link), but I can’t wait to do so. It’s a blast that I can’t recommend more completely.
9.5 out of 10

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[REVIEW] ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’ or What Did I Just Watch?

| Rachel's Reviews

Believe it or not there was a time when DreamWorks Animation was a prestige studio making gorgeous masterpieces like The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon.

And now we have this…

How far DreamWorks has sunk. I didn’t understand the appeal of the first The Boss Baby film but now a sequel so obviously devoid of ideas it makes me both irritated and upset.

But hold on. Let me calm down so we can talk about the positives of The Boss Baby: Family Business…there are a few. First, I wish the movie had abandoned the baby nonsense and been about young Tabitha trying to fit in at the gifted and talented school. Those scenes were good and her character was compelling. I especially liked a musical dance sequence to Cat Stevens ‘If You Want to Sing Out’. It is unquestionably the highlight of the film.

The animation is also well done with some nice uses of 2D in dream sequences and the score by Hans Zimmer works well for the story.

And then there is all the baby nonsense with Ted (Alec Baldwin) and Tim (James Marsden replacing Tobey Maguire) all grown up getting turned back into babies to help the new boss Baby Tina (Amy Sedaris) defeat Jeff Goldblum baby from taking over the world.

To say I dislike this baby world and story would be an understatement. Evidently it appeals to others but not me. I hate the design of the characters especially the adults with the bulbous heads and giant eyes. I hate the story with the brothers fighting and then being turned back into babies. Groan.

Most of all I hate the humor. It’s for the most part crass, unappealing and lazy. For example, there’s a scene in this movie that has the 2 adult babies fighting and pulling each other’s nipples while ‘Time Warp’ from The Rocky Horror Picture Show accompanies them. You know for kids…

And there are so many jokes only adults will understand like references to Shawshank Redemption and other R rated films into the script. I can laugh at puerile humor when done well but this was so bland and didn’t get a chuckle out of me. If you liked the first one maybe you’ll enjoy this more than I did. I really can’t say but it is at best lukewarm versions of old jokes.

Watching The Boss Baby: Family Business was one of those moments where I think to myself ‘what am I doing with my life watching this?”. There is so much quality entertainment right now for kids that don’t waste your time with this terrible film (except for Tabitha. That was good)

3 out of 10

Frown Worthy

The Boss Baby: Family Business will be available in theaters and on Peacock July 2nd

[REVIEW] ‘Spirit Untamed’: For Little Girls Who Like Horses

| Rachel's Reviews

In my career as a critic some movies presented before me are complex and challenging with different layers of meaning. Others are not. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I believe there can be value in knowing what you are and executing it well. I enjoy simple well done Hallmark movies for example. The new film from DreamWorks Animation entitled Spirit Untamed is such a film. It is made for little girls who love horses and want to watch an adventure. On that level it succeeds and is an animated adventure.

This somewhat vanilla film may be disappointing to those of us who love the original Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It was a film that took real risks in its storytelling combined with some of the most beautiful animation DreamWorks has ever produced. If you would like to hear me talk more about the original film my friend Stanford and I covered it last year for Obscure Animation:

Unfortunately DreamWorks has moved on from the original film and created a series called Spirit Riding Free, which I admit I have never seen an episode. This new movie, Spirit Untamed,is a spin off of that show, which given it has 12 seasons has its audience. That’s who this movie is made for.

The story of Spirit Untamed follows a young girl named Lucky who is moving to a frontier town and meets a wild mustang named Spirit while on the train. Her Mother road horses and Lucky dreams of doing the same. When Spirit is caught by ne’re do wells Lucky and her friends, the PALS, go on an adventure to rescue all the horses taken.

If you are wondering why this needed to get a theatrical release I would agree with you. On the story and animation quality it feels more like a direct to streaming feature. However, that doesn’t mean it is bad. It’s perfectly serviceable little movie. I just don’t know if I would pay the big prices at the theater for it. I would probably wait for its inevitable Netflix release along with the series.

It does have a more star-studded voice cast than the series (which again I’ve never seen). This features Jake Gyllenhaal as Lucky’s Dad and Julianne Moore, WalterGoggins and Andre Braugher. I don’t know that I needed these stars for the film but I guess they give it a little more gravitas as a theatrically released film.

I also appreciate the diversity in the film. Almost all young girls should be able to find someone to relate with amongst the PAL characters. The horses are also very beautiful although not nearly as beautiful as the original film. It does have a really nice message about never giving up, connecting with our ancestors, working together and being brave when things are challenging.

In the end, ones enjoyment of Spirit Untamed comes along with your expectations. If you are wanting something along the lines of the original you will be disappointed. If you want something cute for little girls who like horses you’ll enjoy it. It will win the heart of all who love horses.

I also appreciate Spirit Untamed has a female director Elaine Bogan. I hope we keep seeing more female directors in animation (something DreamWorks has been above the curve on with directors like Brenda Chapman and Jennifer Yuh Nelson)

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

[REVIEW] ‘Trolls World Tour’ or Isn’t All Music Fun?

| Rachel's Reviews

If you’ve been a fan  of this blog for some time you know that I tend to be a tough sale when it comes to DreamWorks and in particular their comedies. For every Mr Peabody and Sherman that’s hilarious there are tons that fall flat. 2016’s Trolls is an interesting entry in their canon because while it didn’t work for me as a whole it did have a number of elements. I particularly loved the animation and music including the very catchy song by Justin Timberlake ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’.

What I didn’t like in Trolls is the annoying characters and the oddly fascist message. Everyone in the land of the trolls must be the same. They must all like the same activities, music, colors etc. They are all even forced to hug at the same time every day. If they refuse to participate they are pronounced Scrooges and exiled. It seemed bizarre to me in this day and age to send a message about conforming to fit a crowd rather than increasing tolerance of all.

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So now we have the sequel Trolls World Tour, and I’m happy to say they fix this problem…ALMOST! Indeed, most of the world building and lore of the first movie is abandoned for a new dynamic where they are surrounded by nations of music. Poppy’s land is of course pop music and then there is Rock, Country, Classical, Techno and Funk.

Here we have the same problem of everyone having to like the same kind of music and my hope was by the end of the journey Poppy and company would learn to enjoy different music from each land. Unfortunately they don’t go that far. There is tolerance on a macro national level but not on an individual learning to appreciate all kinds of music level. (What a good lesson that would have been for kids…)

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The villain trying to take over all of trolldom is Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom) and she wants everything to be rock. Her evil plan is to gather the strings of all the lands for mass musical takeover. I think there is more of a rebellious streak in punk or heavy metal but it was fine (although when the strings are played/destroyed it’s not exactly a Thanos-level moment!).

I really enjoyed the animation in each musical world with the textures of the felt and hair. There are even sequences where they use 2D animation techniques to tell stories in a scrapbook, which of course I loved.

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In addition, going to see all the different musical lands was fun and well done. I can make nitpicks like why is Kelly Clarkson voicing the country troll Delta Dawn? If there was ever a part screaming for Reba McEntire this was it. She even has red hair! The funk world was particularly interesting as they have a musical montage that explains how the other music especially pop has misappropriated the work of POC songwriters for decades.

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They try to make room for other types of music beyond the 6 lands with bounty hunters of regaeton, kpop and yodeling but there are still obvious omissions like blues, salsa, broadway etc.  Nevertheless, kids will have a lot of fun with the music and will be no doubt dancing along to the songs watching at home. Unfortunately It seems like most of the cover songs were outdated. For example, in the pop covers they have songs like ‘Can’t Touch This’ from MC Hammer and ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls. Surely they could have gotten something more recent?

Sadly the new songs aren’t much better. In fact, they are entirely forgettable, which is disappointing. I don’t know if they were trying too hard to match the appeal of the first film but the new songs pale in comparison.

All in all, Trolls World Tour is harmless for kids. It has some beautiful animation and sweet moments but it could have been much better. I so wish they had shown Poppy and Branch embracing all different kinds of music in the end and everyone being richer as a result. As it is, the world of Trolls ends pretty close to where it began, which is not what you want in a quest movie. The message is still you have to think like everyone else or there is a problem, and I don’t like that!

4.5 out of 10

Frown Worthy

frown

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Review

| Rachel's Reviews

It’s no secret that I am not the biggest fan of DreamWorks animation. Particularly their comedies are very hit and miss for me. However, the one consistently great series from the studio is the How to Train Your Dragon films. They are epic in scale but with sweet moments and the animation is always stunning. Now we get the 3rd and last installment entitled How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (breaks continuity with the other 2 that had simple numbers in the title but oh well!). While I did have my issues with the film, it’s still a very sweet and lovely way to end the series and most fans will be very pleased with it.

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The story of How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World starts in Berk where dragons and humans are living peacefully with Toothless being the alpha or intermediary between the two groups. One day they find a new Night Fury (Toothless was supposed to be the only one) but this dragon is white and is a female, which of course is very exciting for Toothless. Unfortunately a dragon hunter named Grimmel is after the dragons and wants to destroy everything in Berk. I won’t tell you any more so you aren’t spoiled but there is a lot of action, romance, and some sweet moments of friendship.

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The strongest parts of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are in the animation and character moments. There is a particularly stunning sequence when they find the Hidden World and things look like under a fluorescent black light. It’s truly breathtaking. While I missed the flying sequences of the first 2 films (Toothless and Hiccup are separated or battling in most the movie), it is still a very beautiful film.

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Also we see growth from Hiccup as character as he comes to understand Toothless, Astrid, and even his father better through the course of the movie. A lot of the side characters who we have come to love during the movie including Astrid get nice endings and moments to shine. Some of the comedy with Ruffnut (Kristin Wiig) wasn’t my taste but the kids in the theater seemed to enjoy it so I may not be the target audience.

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My criticisms of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World may not be an issue for you if you love fantasy adventure and action. Aside from slasher flicks, fantasy action is probably my least favorite. There are a lot of battles and fighting in this movie and I found them to be more than a tad dull. I know other people will enjoy them but I kept nodding off during these sections. You would think with all the flames and warfare it would be exciting but it isn’t for me at all. At the very least they were too long and repetitive. I would have much rather had less action and more flying sequences or time in the Hidden World, but that’s probably just me.

Other than that I enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. It is a beautifully animated ending to our trilogy and one I bet you will find very satisfying if you loved the previous 2 films.

7 out of 10

smile worthy

DreamWorks 17: Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas

| Rachel's Reviews

The DreamWorks film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is one I had heard about but somehow never gotten around to watching. Secretly I was hoping it would turn out to be a hidden gem that I would find very underrated, but I still didn’t see it. Well, today I finally watched it and unfortunately it’s not a very strong film. It’s certainly not the worst of DreamWorks, but I can see why it has been basically forgotten.

Sinbad tells the classic story of the famous pirate but this time he gets mixed up in the schemes of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. The plot then becomes very convoluted. Basically it involves Sinbad, his friend Proteus, Proteus’ fiance Marina, a magic book and a variety of other adventures.

The problem is those adventures aren’t accompanied by characters I cared much about. Proteus is gone for most of the movie so it mostly relies on Sinbad to carry the film. What can I say about Sinbad but he’s no Jack Sparrow…He’s completely forgettable. Brad Pitt is fine as his voice but the role is super bland.

Then we have Marina and she was a strange character. At times she would be tough but then other times she was very submissive. She was engaged to someone she didn’t love but then storms off with Sinbad at a moments notice. She swings from being a damsel in distress needing rescue to punching Sinbad in the face. She had more personality than Sinbad but it just didn’t quite work. I liked some of their romantic comedy-style banter but it felt a little weird given they were both cheating on the friend who had put his life on the line for them to be together. Awkward…

Then we have the villain Eris who is probably the best thing in the movie. Her design is pretty cool and she is well voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer; although, I was a little unclear what her motivations were. I guess she wanted the Book of Peace because it is powerful or something? It was a little vague. Everything with the book was vague and not very satisfying.

The animation in Sinbad also leaves much to be desired. If we remember this is the same year as Finding Nemo it’s pretty alarming how bad the ocean and sea life look in this movie. At times the animation reminded me of a Barbie movie which is not good for a major studio film.  I wish they had just gone all 2D because the mixture looks awful. For some reason Prince of Egypt and Spirit both hold up in their animation but this looked really bad. It always looked like the characters were floating on top of the backgrounds. Road to El Dorado with its many flaws has way better animation.

The one huge plus I will give Sinbad is the score by Harry Gregson-Williams is terrific. It really helped me get into the action scenes even if I wasn’t sure who was fighting or what was going on. It really worked well for the movie.

I am glad I finally checked Sinbad off my bucket list. It does have some positives but not enough that I can recommend it. I would say watch Spirit or Prince of Egypt instead. Those films have better characters, stories and animation.

What do you think of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas?

(Also I don’t think there was any legends or anything about the 7 seas? Did I miss something It should have been called Sinbad: Legend of the Book of Peace)