Customer Reviews:
PREDICTABLE BUT FUN!.......2007-12-13
This is easily the weakest of the trilogy, as it simply repeats the formula of the previous films (as is ofton the case), but that still doesn't make it less entertaining. Still worth adding to your collection.
THE WEAKEST OF THE TRILOGY.......2007-08-16
The third film is the weakest of the Sinbad trilogy. The trailers should've said "Starring John Wayne's son and Tyrone Powers' daughter!", I wasn't impressed by that casting. Personally, I thought Jane Seymour was one of the casting highlights in this flawed fantasy film. "Eye of the Tiger" not a bad film, but it is also not the great film that some people want to remember it as from their childhood.
I saw these Sinbad films as a child and re-watched them this week. Let's face it; this was the weakest of the 3 Sinbad films and of the 5 films in that Harryhausen boxset. The Amazon voters even seem to agree with me on this. Luckily for us, Ray Harryhausen, special effects genius and one-man workforce, followed this film up with "Clash of the Titans" before retiring thereby leaving the film world on a high note instead of this uncharacteristic stumble. This might have had 7 times the budget of the first Sinbad film (7th Voyage), but it was a big letdown to me after watching much better, more entertaining Sinbad films. If I seem harsh in this review, it is because I have recently re-watched several of Ray Harryhausen's films and some interviews and documentaries in said box set about his work. I know the magic his genius is capable of and I am grading this film against his other films. The real problem isn't that movie visual effects had moved forward, so much as that the work here isn't as impressive as it is in previous Harryhausen films.
The plot was basically a weak mirror of the 7th Voyage plot (gotta help restore a friend to normal, go to some crazy island to obtain magical help and faceoff against a purveyor of the dark arts). Actually all 3 Sinbad films can be vaguely described that way. The script makes some weak/lame turns to get to its destination.
While a friend didn't like Sinbad 'having an afro', I didn't mind Patrick Wayne's look as much as his uninspired acting. He never sold us on the Dynamation effects like Kerwin Matthews or John Philip Law (of Danger Diabolik fame).
THE CREATURES. I am 'grading on a curve' against Harryhause's capabilities from other films. His work here is good (and above what anyone else save possibly Willis O'Brien could do with similar tools), but definitely has been better in his previous efforts. -Golden Minotaur was very cool, but never properly utilized in this film. -bug-eyed demons were unimpressive creations. -sabretooth was fun, but looked more like a stuffed toy than past Harryhausen creations. -Trogolodyte was good. There were also: a baboon, a giant walrus and an overgrown bee. There isn't anything here to compare to his greatest creations: the Cyclops vs. Dragon, the Roc, 6-armed swordfighting Kali, 7 skeletons (in Argonauts), Griffon vs. Centaur, Pegasus, Medusa, etc. He doesn't top himself in this film, which was a letdown for me after seeing his better films.
I also felt that some of the travelling matte work had footage that to my eye didn't quite match up and distracted from the usual wonder of 'Dynamation' I've come to expect. Viewing this in my childhood I probably overlooked this, as an adult I cannot.
The film suffers from an abundance of what I call 'IDIOT PLOT MOMENTS', the likes of which one would expect from a slasher film. This happens too often in entertainment (especially in genre films and TV) when the writers need to get the plot from point A to point B and are either too lazy or lack creativity to get there properly or they are attempting something extremely unlikely for the characters and don't care about undermining the credibility or reality of the world they are creating. There were far too many moments where I wanted to scream at the screen while watching.
**SPOILER WARNING** SUMMATION OF 'IDIOT PLOT POINTS'
The Minotaur is a great mythology creature and could've been a great opponent for an exciting battle with Sinbad's crew, but was totally wasted here. What does he really do? He rows a boat, spears a drowning man and then proves his lack of sentience by pulling a large brick onto himself thereby crushing himself to death. Lame.
Melanthius the supposedly wise sage acts cluelessly so the plot can proceed where the writers want. He captures the witch (already established as highly dangerous and has turned Sinbad's friend into a baboon) and promptly evacuates the room of all other people (who could possibly stop him from his forthcoming blundering). He then reveals the map and key to the enemy and (inadvertently?) tells her where they are headed. Then, after taunting her with a dangerous bee, he gives the bee some of her potentially 'enlarging' potion so that it can become a danger to the crew and the witch can be afforded an escape and further plague the party.
After not running the treacherous witch through with a spear, the party inexplicably forgets to keep a close eye on Zenobia after the death of her worthless son while all watching starry-eyed as the Prince transforms back. Lo and behold Zenobia uses this oversight to possess the frozen sabretooth and attempt her vengeance. This begins the sabretooth vs. Trog battle. I am still annoyed by Sinbad's crew not taking the opportunity to slash the monsters legs thereby crippling its fighting abilities even if it wouldn't seem sporting in a U rated film (not that it stopped Koura from stabbing the Griffon's hindquarters to cripple it in Golden Voyage).
A great film - simple as that!.......2002-09-19
I have been waiting for quite a while for this film to emerge on DVD. The wait has of course, been worth every second.
'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' is the third film to feature the intripid Captain Sinbad and co-starring a whole host of fantastically lifelike monsters, bought to life by Ray Harryhausen, who is of course the King of stop motion animation!
If you have already watched through 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Jason and the Argonauts' or 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad', (which are also fantastic films), then you'll know, more or less, what to expect. If you haven't, then trust me, you're missing out, but here's roughly what to expect from 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger'. You can expect, good, evil, magic, adventure, monsters and another princess.
Captain Sinbad (played by Patrick Wayne), having apparently decided that neither the princess from his Seventh Voyage, or the slave girl from his Golden Voyage, were good enough for him, is now after another Princess. This time it's Princess Farah (played by Jane Seymour). Okay, nothing wrong with going for another notch in his belt. The problem is, that before he can wed her, he must seek permission from her Brother - Prince Kassim, who is soon to be crowned. Okay, still not a problem, since nothing is mentioned of Sinbad's two previous 'voyages'. The problem comes when Sinbad learns that Prince Kassim has been put under an evil spell by his wicked stepmother, Zenobia, who wants her own wet-blanket of a son to become ruler instead of Prince Kassim.
So, Captain Sinbad has no choice but to grit his teeth and set out on yet another daring voyage, to find a way of reversing the evil curse. On his way he and his crew are faced by a variety of semi-mythical, but wholly-ferocious beasts and monsters, including a trio of ghouls and a gigantic, prehistoric walrus, which doesn't look as silly as it sounds to read, trust me.
A first for Sinbad, is that among the monsters encountered, is a powerful ally, in the form of a strong but ultimately friendly troglodyte, who proves to be invaluable during the quest.
Unfortunately, the evil Zenobia is also aided by a stop-motion monster, in the form of the giant, bronze Minoton, who has the strength to row their ship completely unaided by a crew! His creation is the one, single useful thing that Zenobia's inept son actually does, and even then, it is Zenobia who uses the magic that actually brings the colossus to life!
During his quest, Captain Sinbad and his crew, meet up with an old, Greek wiseman, played by Patrick Troughton. Patrick Troughton had a role in 'Jason and the Argonauts', and who could forget his role as the second incarnation of the strange Time Lord in the BBC Television series of 'Doctor Who', during the latter half of the 1960s, when the show was still in black and white?
With extra plees from Princess Farah, the wiseman finally agrees to help them reverse the spell upon Prince Kassim.
This is probably one of the most ambitious of all the films in this unofficial series thus far - wait till you see the main chamber of the temple in the climax of the film! I think you'll be impressed. Although the special effects may seem a little dated by today's standards, it is worth baring in mind that when it was made (during the late 1970s), computer generated monsters were still quite a way off.
The DVD's special features are fairly plain to be perfectly honest.
There is a documentary called 'The Harryhausen Chronicles'. This was also featured on the DVD releases of 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad' and 'Jason and the Argonauts'. It's a good documentary though, and worth watching if you haven't seen it before.
There is also a featurette called 'This is Dynamation', which has previously been featured on the DVD of 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'. This featurette mainly applies to that film, so its inclusion here is more of a 'stocking-filler' than a necessity.
There are the usual crop of filmographies, though obviously, these relate to 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' and not to any of the other films.
There is also the theatrical trailer for this film.
So, all in all, great film on an adiquate DVD. This is fantasy of the very best kind. If you want an alternative, then you can go for any of the other films I have also mentioned, which are all out on DVD. You could also track down a video copy of 'Clash of the Titans', which was the last film to feature work from Ray Harryhausen, and is of course, a great film because of it.
However, if you like your fantasy films to be quite literally perfect, and if you want something that is one-hundred percent up-to-date, than I can not really sing enough praises for the recent DVD release of Peter Jackson's fantastic adaptation of the first part of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece - 'The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring', which is superb in every respect, including special effects and brilliant acting.
A showcase of Ray Harryhausens amazing Imagination!.......2001-01-02
Since I saw Jason and the Argonaughts when I was seven I was completely drawn in by the Ray Harryhausen movies. Although the monsters don't look as real as the ones in Jurassic Park and Aliens they are more like fairy tale monsters and fairy tales aren't true! When I got to see this movie on TV there was even more special effects in which was even better! The story is about Sinbad the Sailor who is going to ask Prince Kassim for his sisters hand in Marridge but Kassim has been turned into a Baboon by his evil step mother Zenobia. To break the spell Sinbad must find Malanthials the wise man who knows how to cure Kassim on thier way they encounter a Bronze Minaton, Army of Fleshless Ghouls, A Sabre Tooth Tiger and a friendly Trogledite called Trog.
FIVE STARS!
Customer Reviews:
PREDICTABLE BUT FUN!.......2007-12-13
This is easily the weakest of the trilogy, as it simply repeats the formula of the previous films (as is ofton the case), but that still doesn't make it less entertaining. Still worth adding to your collection.
THE WEAKEST OF THE TRILOGY.......2007-08-16
The third film is the weakest of the Sinbad trilogy. The trailers should've said "Starring John Wayne's son and Tyrone Powers' daughter!", I wasn't impressed by that casting. Personally, I thought Jane Seymour was one of the casting highlights in this flawed fantasy film. "Eye of the Tiger" not a bad film, but it is also not the great film that some people want to remember it as from their childhood.
I saw these Sinbad films as a child and re-watched them this week. Let's face it; this was the weakest of the 3 Sinbad films and of the 5 films in that Harryhausen boxset. The Amazon voters even seem to agree with me on this. Luckily for us, Ray Harryhausen, special effects genius and one-man workforce, followed this film up with "Clash of the Titans" before retiring thereby leaving the film world on a high note instead of this uncharacteristic stumble. This might have had 7 times the budget of the first Sinbad film (7th Voyage), but it was a big letdown to me after watching much better, more entertaining Sinbad films. If I seem harsh in this review, it is because I have recently re-watched several of Ray Harryhausen's films and some interviews and documentaries in said box set about his work. I know the magic his genius is capable of and I am grading this film against his other films. The real problem isn't that movie visual effects had moved forward, so much as that the work here isn't as impressive as it is in previous Harryhausen films.
The plot was basically a weak mirror of the 7th Voyage plot (gotta help restore a friend to normal, go to some crazy island to obtain magical help and faceoff against a purveyor of the dark arts). Actually all 3 Sinbad films can be vaguely described that way. The script makes some weak/lame turns to get to its destination.
While a friend didn't like Sinbad 'having an afro', I didn't mind Patrick Wayne's look as much as his uninspired acting. He never sold us on the Dynamation effects like Kerwin Matthews or John Philip Law (of Danger Diabolik fame).
THE CREATURES. I am 'grading on a curve' against Harryhause's capabilities from other films. His work here is good (and above what anyone else save possibly Willis O'Brien could do with similar tools), but definitely has been better in his previous efforts. -Golden Minotaur was very cool, but never properly utilized in this film. -bug-eyed demons were unimpressive creations. -sabretooth was fun, but looked more like a stuffed toy than past Harryhausen creations. -Trogolodyte was good. There were also: a baboon, a giant walrus and an overgrown bee. There isn't anything here to compare to his greatest creations: the Cyclops vs. Dragon, the Roc, 6-armed swordfighting Kali, 7 skeletons (in Argonauts), Griffon vs. Centaur, Pegasus, Medusa, etc. He doesn't top himself in this film, which was a letdown for me after seeing his better films.
I also felt that some of the travelling matte work had footage that to my eye didn't quite match up and distracted from the usual wonder of 'Dynamation' I've come to expect. Viewing this in my childhood I probably overlooked this, as an adult I cannot.
The film suffers from an abundance of what I call 'IDIOT PLOT MOMENTS', the likes of which one would expect from a slasher film. This happens too often in entertainment (especially in genre films and TV) when the writers need to get the plot from point A to point B and are either too lazy or lack creativity to get there properly or they are attempting something extremely unlikely for the characters and don't care about undermining the credibility or reality of the world they are creating. There were far too many moments where I wanted to scream at the screen while watching.
**SPOILER WARNING** SUMMATION OF 'IDIOT PLOT POINTS'
The Minotaur is a great mythology creature and could've been a great opponent for an exciting battle with Sinbad's crew, but was totally wasted here. What does he really do? He rows a boat, spears a drowning man and then proves his lack of sentience by pulling a large brick onto himself thereby crushing himself to death. Lame.
Melanthius the supposedly wise sage acts cluelessly so the plot can proceed where the writers want. He captures the witch (already established as highly dangerous and has turned Sinbad's friend into a baboon) and promptly evacuates the room of all other people (who could possibly stop him from his forthcoming blundering). He then reveals the map and key to the enemy and (inadvertently?) tells her where they are headed. Then, after taunting her with a dangerous bee, he gives the bee some of her potentially 'enlarging' potion so that it can become a danger to the crew and the witch can be afforded an escape and further plague the party.
After not running the treacherous witch through with a spear, the party inexplicably forgets to keep a close eye on Zenobia after the death of her worthless son while all watching starry-eyed as the Prince transforms back. Lo and behold Zenobia uses this oversight to possess the frozen sabretooth and attempt her vengeance. This begins the sabretooth vs. Trog battle. I am still annoyed by Sinbad's crew not taking the opportunity to slash the monsters legs thereby crippling its fighting abilities even if it wouldn't seem sporting in a U rated film (not that it stopped Koura from stabbing the Griffon's hindquarters to cripple it in Golden Voyage).
A great film - simple as that!.......2002-09-19
I have been waiting for quite a while for this film to emerge on DVD. The wait has of course, been worth every second.
'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' is the third film to feature the intripid Captain Sinbad and co-starring a whole host of fantastically lifelike monsters, bought to life by Ray Harryhausen, who is of course the King of stop motion animation!
If you have already watched through 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Jason and the Argonauts' or 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad', (which are also fantastic films), then you'll know, more or less, what to expect. If you haven't, then trust me, you're missing out, but here's roughly what to expect from 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger'. You can expect, good, evil, magic, adventure, monsters and another princess.
Captain Sinbad (played by Patrick Wayne), having apparently decided that neither the princess from his Seventh Voyage, or the slave girl from his Golden Voyage, were good enough for him, is now after another Princess. This time it's Princess Farah (played by Jane Seymour). Okay, nothing wrong with going for another notch in his belt. The problem is, that before he can wed her, he must seek permission from her Brother - Prince Kassim, who is soon to be crowned. Okay, still not a problem, since nothing is mentioned of Sinbad's two previous 'voyages'. The problem comes when Sinbad learns that Prince Kassim has been put under an evil spell by his wicked stepmother, Zenobia, who wants her own wet-blanket of a son to become ruler instead of Prince Kassim.
So, Captain Sinbad has no choice but to grit his teeth and set out on yet another daring voyage, to find a way of reversing the evil curse. On his way he and his crew are faced by a variety of semi-mythical, but wholly-ferocious beasts and monsters, including a trio of ghouls and a gigantic, prehistoric walrus, which doesn't look as silly as it sounds to read, trust me.
A first for Sinbad, is that among the monsters encountered, is a powerful ally, in the form of a strong but ultimately friendly troglodyte, who proves to be invaluable during the quest.
Unfortunately, the evil Zenobia is also aided by a stop-motion monster, in the form of the giant, bronze Minoton, who has the strength to row their ship completely unaided by a crew! His creation is the one, single useful thing that Zenobia's inept son actually does, and even then, it is Zenobia who uses the magic that actually brings the colossus to life!
During his quest, Captain Sinbad and his crew, meet up with an old, Greek wiseman, played by Patrick Troughton. Patrick Troughton had a role in 'Jason and the Argonauts', and who could forget his role as the second incarnation of the strange Time Lord in the BBC Television series of 'Doctor Who', during the latter half of the 1960s, when the show was still in black and white?
With extra plees from Princess Farah, the wiseman finally agrees to help them reverse the spell upon Prince Kassim.
This is probably one of the most ambitious of all the films in this unofficial series thus far - wait till you see the main chamber of the temple in the climax of the film! I think you'll be impressed. Although the special effects may seem a little dated by today's standards, it is worth baring in mind that when it was made (during the late 1970s), computer generated monsters were still quite a way off.
The DVD's special features are fairly plain to be perfectly honest.
There is a documentary called 'The Harryhausen Chronicles'. This was also featured on the DVD releases of 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad' and 'Jason and the Argonauts'. It's a good documentary though, and worth watching if you haven't seen it before.
There is also a featurette called 'This is Dynamation', which has previously been featured on the DVD of 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'. This featurette mainly applies to that film, so its inclusion here is more of a 'stocking-filler' than a necessity.
There are the usual crop of filmographies, though obviously, these relate to 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' and not to any of the other films.
There is also the theatrical trailer for this film.
So, all in all, great film on an adiquate DVD. This is fantasy of the very best kind. If you want an alternative, then you can go for any of the other films I have also mentioned, which are all out on DVD. You could also track down a video copy of 'Clash of the Titans', which was the last film to feature work from Ray Harryhausen, and is of course, a great film because of it.
However, if you like your fantasy films to be quite literally perfect, and if you want something that is one-hundred percent up-to-date, than I can not really sing enough praises for the recent DVD release of Peter Jackson's fantastic adaptation of the first part of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece - 'The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring', which is superb in every respect, including special effects and brilliant acting.
A showcase of Ray Harryhausens amazing Imagination!.......2001-01-02
Since I saw Jason and the Argonaughts when I was seven I was completely drawn in by the Ray Harryhausen movies. Although the monsters don't look as real as the ones in Jurassic Park and Aliens they are more like fairy tale monsters and fairy tales aren't true! When I got to see this movie on TV there was even more special effects in which was even better! The story is about Sinbad the Sailor who is going to ask Prince Kassim for his sisters hand in Marridge but Kassim has been turned into a Baboon by his evil step mother Zenobia. To break the spell Sinbad must find Malanthials the wise man who knows how to cure Kassim on thier way they encounter a Bronze Minaton, Army of Fleshless Ghouls, A Sabre Tooth Tiger and a friendly Trogledite called Trog.
FIVE STARS!
DVD:
- Sneakers [1992]
- Sorcerer [1977] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Stealth [2005]
- Stealth [Blu-ray] [2005]
- Strange Days [1996]
- Street Fighter [1995]
- The Alamo [1960]
- The A-Team - Series 1
- The Big Red One - The Reconstruction (2 Disc Special Edition) [1980]
- The Colditz Story [1954]
DVD List
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![Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger [1977]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21GD0Q9VFWL.jpg)
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![The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad [1973]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000055Z8W.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad [1973]
![The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad [1958]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004RCOA.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad [1958]
![Clash Of The Titans [1981]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000B7KXNG.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Clash Of The Titans [1981]
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Mysterious Island [1961]
![The Valley Of Gwangi [1969]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0000Z0HMQ.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Valley Of Gwangi [1969]
![Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger [1977]](http://www.bill88.com/buy.gif)
![Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger [1977] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21MADBK0ZBL.jpg)