It's not hard to see how this captured the hearts and minds of baby boomers who saw it as children - I think if you didn't see it then you'll be less impressed but it has plenty of charm, gorgeous colour and the Harryhausen effects are great fun.
Kerwin Matthews is a little bland as the hero but he's fine. Kathryn Grant is a cutey as his love interest - she gets to be more involved, going along on the trip, although it's because she's shrunk. Torin Thatcher is a glowering magician - he's not very nice!
The film starts off like a sequel - Sinbad is with his love, he's engaged, he's respected. Then he gets sidetracked with monsters. The film doesn't really get going for me until Grant is shrunk and the stakes shoot up. The stuff hanging around the palace was dull but once the expedition started this was solid.
It has a serious, adult tone at times - several of Sinbad's men are killed, they mutiny, people are roasted on a spit, you're constantly expecting Thatcher to betray Sinbad, the men kill a bird by roasting it and are killed by the bird's mother.
There's always something happening - Cyclops, a sword fight with a skeleton, a boy genie, an egg with a creature inside, fights between creatures, caverns, dragons, magic lamps, huge crossbows. It's a lot of fun.
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