Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

In this last go-round for the Sinbad series, Patrick Wayne plays the legendary sailor. He is betrothed to Farah (Jayne Seymour) and seeks her hand in marriage, but her brother Kassim has been turned into a baboon by the evil Zenobia (Margaret Whiting). Before he can break Zenobia's spell, Sinbad must contend with the Minoton, a bronze statue brought back to life to do her bidding; a trio of flaming skeletons wielding swords; a 9-foot-tall troglodyte; and a saber-toothed tiger. Wayne is the film's weakest point, making a rather wooden Sinbad. Whiting's performance smells strongly of ham, but it's a brand of ham that fits the movie perfectly. As always, though, Harryhausen's work is outstanding. He instills more personality and character into his creatures in this outing, especially for Kassim and his relationship to his sister. The prolonged battle between the troglodyte and saber-toothed tiger is a violent one, generating some real suspense. At times it's difficult to remember that it's not live action with guidance from a director. Though this is an uneven effort for the Sinbad series, it still has its moments. --Jerry Renshaw Amazon.com

A Fun Adventure Romp

While it's definitely not the best Ray Harryhausen "Sinbad" adventure, it's sure does stand tall against a lot of its modern competition. Flip on any SciFi Channel or network television remake of any of the wonderful Sinbad adventures, and you'll find that "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" is a whole lot more fun. It features wonderful, over-the-top acting and camp from Margaret Whiting as the evil Zenobia and the always excellent Patrick Troughton (the classic "Doctor Who") as the wise and wiley Melanthius. It also features excellent stop-motion animation from the godfather of modern special effects, Ray Harryhausen.

In this adventure, Sinbad (Patrick Wayne, the Duke's boy) and company take port in Charak, where Princess Farah (Jane Seymour) is distressed over the condition of her brother, Kassim, who has been turned into a baboon by stepmother and local witch (in more ways than one) Zenobia. You see, in order for Sinbad and Farah to get married, the Caliph has to bless their union. The only problem is that the would-be Caliph, Kassim, is unable to do so because of his primate problem. With no one to properly take the throne, Zenobia has plans to put her son in power and rule the kingdom through him.

In order to save both Kassim and their love for one another, Sinbad, Farah, and Sinbad's crew set off to find the old mystic, Melanthius. He seems to be the only person capable of helping them. To stop Sinbad, though, Zenobia and her son animate a bronze Minaton (think Minotaur but really shiny) to row their own boat in pursuit. After finding Melanthius and his beautiful daughter, Dione (Taryn Power), the group sets out to find a mysterious pyramid that can save Kassim's life. The only problem is that if they get there too late, Kassim will lose all sense of humanity and fully become a baboon. Can Sinbad save the day? Will he survive the attacks of a giant walrus, a wicked killer bee, demons, a Troglodite, and a sabre-toothed tiger? Stay tuned to find out.

This film is G-rated, but I should note that there is some brief, non-sexual nudity involving Seymour and Power that some may not appreciate their children seeing. To be honest, though, the nudity involves a sunning/bathing scene and will most likely not provoke certain "thoughts" except for in the minds of a particular demographic of young males. Parents should preview this part of the film, though, if nudity is a problem for them. Viewers should also know that the violence in this film is quite a bit excessive in some spots with youngsters in mind, especially when the Trog and the sabre-toothed tiger have a run-in. This might put off some smaller children more than the brief nudity.

This tale, while not up to par with the other Sinbad adventures that Harryhausen oversaw as special effects head, features two of his best creations: the Trog and the baboon. The Trog's emotions bleed through and actually becomes a legitimate character. The same can be said of the baboon. The baboon plays games with his sister, shows fear and anger, and even falls in love with Dione as the film rolls along. Do not let the less-than-spectacular plotline ruin the chance to see these two creations in action.

I recommend this tale to anybody who loves old-fashioned adventures. I highly recommend it to fans of special effects development over the years. Be sure to check out other Harryhausen creations as well. Most of the stories are in the monster/epic adventure vein, but they are all wonderful stories. You'll enjoy them all. January 18, 2008

Fun Sinbad Adventure with Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour & Taryn Power

I don't get why so many people pan this 1977 Sinbad adventure film, the third in a trilogy featuring Ray Harryhausen's special effects creations.

I've only seen the first in the trilogy, "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958), once about a decade ago, but I've seen "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" (1974) numerous times. So, whereas I can't properly compare "Eye of the Tiger" with the first film, since I barely remember anything about it, I can certainly compare it to the latter; and -- let me tell ya -- even though "Golden Voyage" is a great Sinbad adventure, I actually prefer "Eye of the Tiger" over it.

THE PLOT: Princess Farah's (Jane Seymour) brother, who's about to be crowned Caliph of the kingdom, is turned into a baboon by the envious sorceress Zenobia (Margaret Whiting) who wants her son to be Caliph instead. Sinbad (Patrick Wayne) escorts Farah and her baboon brother on a grand adventure to restore his humanity before Zenobia's son is crowned. The adventure includes meeting the wizard Melanthius (Patrick Troughton) and his beautiful daughter Dione (Taryn Power). Along the way they are exposed to all kinds of fantastical creatures and supernatural experiences -- a trio of ghouls, a troglodite, a giant bee, giant walrus, a saber-tooth tiger, a Minoton and more.

Sinbad adventures play like a Mediterranean/Middle East version of Conan the Barbarian, albeit with a slightly funner edge and a less dour protagonist. So, if you love Conan you'll likely appreciate all three Sinbad films. And even though I describe it as having a fun edge, don't think "Eye of the Tiger" is remotely goofy or comedic. It's not. This is a serious Sinbad adventure. It's just that the protagonists exude the joy and vitality of living.

The items I demand in a Sinbad adventure are obvious: A good casting choice for Sinbad, a great adventure story and locations, a colorful assortmant of likable characters & love-to-hate villains, beautiful women, and Harryhausen's unmistakable F/X work.

"Eye of the Tiger" delivers in all these areas: Patrick Wayne is perfect as the titular hero. I don't see why so many criticize him as "wooden" or somehow subpar. I think he's just fine and am a bit bewildered as to why he didn't have a more stellar career. I know this is blasphemy to some, but I much prefer him to his famous father. As far as I'm concerned he's in the same league as Charleton Heston and Burt Reynolds.

The story is everything you'd want in a Sinbad yarn -- grand adventure on the high seas with supernatural elements. The locations are fabulous -- Jordan, Petra (Melanthius's lair), Malta and Spain. There's even a fairly convincing arctic scene.

The characters are indeed colorful and well-cast. Whiting is perfect as the witch with a capital "B" and Troughton is flawless as the likable old magician.

As for women, this is one of the greatest highlights of the film as the young brunette Jane Seymour and blond Taryn Power (Tyrone's daughter) are truly beautiful to behold in every scene they appear. The film's worth cherishing for Jane & Taryn alone!

As for Harryhausen's effects, they're pretty much the same as his work in his other films, e.g. "Clash of the Titans," "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Mysterious Island." It just comes down to whether or not you like the creature(s) in question. Nothing here is as good as his Medusa and skeleton gang in other films IMHO, but it's a matter of personal taste. I personally don't find the saber-tooth tiger very impressive, but who can deny the greatness of the troglodite as a sympathetic animated character? Anyway, the F/X sequences are just icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. They don't make or break the film. The story, character and locations are what really matter.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Don't listen to the critics! This is a very entertaining Sinbad adventure on all counts. I have a great time every time I see it. Patrick Wayne is a great Sinbad. The story captures your attention, the locations are fabulous, and Jane Seymour & Taryn Power are utterly delectable. It's at least on par with "The Golden Voyage," although I give "Eye" the edge. November 18, 2007

Jane Seymour - Nude

I like the way the movie flows - my favorite part was of course seeing Jane and the other lady partially nude. This had alot of great special effects -- the movie overall was pretty good. I have watched it more than twice -- more to see Jane nude than anything else... Smile August 29, 2007

GREAT SPECIAL EFFECTS , BUT THE WEAKEST IN THE SINBAD TRILOGY!

This was Ray Harryhausen's last Sinbad voyage. It is a shame that this didn't turn out the way Ray wanted it to. He never had a big budget for his effect and time was a big factor. Given the circumstances it is a wonderful effort! It is the weakest of the three Sinbad films, but it is still worth owning if your a fan. Ray's effects never get old to me. The DVD transfer is good,but they all deserve better. July 30, 2007

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger

Well I have to say I always have enjoyed this movie, it was actually the first Sinbad movie I have ever witness and I was pretty much in awe of it as a kid, watching it on DVD on the widescreen still takes me back to those days, even though it wasn't done with ILM effect standards for me its more about the suspension of belief and going back it a more innocent and certainly less technical time. To redo a Harryhausen movie would be like colorizing black and white classics. May 10, 2007

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