Admirable film.

The first must-see film of the year.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD is an enjoyable fantasy with lavish looking sets, colorful costumes and a plot that takes advantage of the odd looking creatures Sinbad must fight to achieve whatever goals he has.John Phillip Law makes a dashing Sinbad, Caroline Munro is the briefly clad heroine and Tom Baker makes a menacing enough villain who often steals the scenes he's in. But the real scene-stealer in this case are Ray Harryhausen's special effects creatures, particularly the six-armed statue that comes to life. All of the stop animation is amazingly well done for the time.Only drawbacks are the lack of humor to keep the story moving with a lighter touch here and there. The music by Miklos Rozsa is fitting and the color photography is gorgeous to behold in the outdoor scenes. Many of the indoor scenes take place in dark caves which only emphasizes the dark nature of much of the story. But as with "Harry Potter," kids seem to love dismal darkness as well as the brighter aspects for their fantasies. Here there's a mixture of both.Well worth watching for escapist fantasy entertainment.

While sailing ancient Arabia, heroic John Phillip Law (as Sinbad) happens upon a golden amulet, which turns out to be one-third of a magical medallion. Part two is easily located, but villainous Tom Baker (as Koura) wants a piece of the action. Helping Mr. Law are curvaceous Caroline Munro (as Margiana), disfigured Douglas Wilmer (as Vizier), kidlike Kurt Christian (as Haroun) and the Ray Harryhausen special effects crew. This long-awaited follow-up to "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) lacks that film's spirit and spark. Here, the highlights are the Harryhausen creatures and the leading lady's tightly prominent bust.***** The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (12/20/73) Gordon Hessler ~ John Phillip Law, Tom Baker, Caroline Munro, Douglas Wilmer

John Phillip Law dons the turban last worn by Kerwin Matthews (OK, so Kerwin Matthews didn't actually wear a turban), Caroline Munro is a pleasingly pneumatic maid of mystery, and Tom Baker makes a splendidly sinister master of magic. Plus there are exotic locations and a fabulous score.And who cares? We want Ray Harryhausen's creatures! let's be fair, a bad script and poor production values could have fatally harmed Harryhausen's movies: fortunately, in this one (16 years after the previous Sinbad venture), all the backup is great, which enables Ray's creations to shine.And there are some wonderful creations in this entry, although my favourites have to be the 6 armed Kali - a sword fight to rival the skeletons from Jason - and the cyclops/centaur as is full of character as the cyclops from 7th Voyage.Whenever I watch this movie it transports me to the land of my imagination, just as it did when I first watched it all those years ago. Which, I suspect, is exactly what Mr H hoped for.

By all means this is not my favourite Sinbad movie, that is the family favourite that is The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, but I still really like this movie. The ending isn't quite as strong as the majority of the film, in fact the last twenty five minutes or so meander slightly, but it is certainly isn't terrible either. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is still a delight to watch, especially visually. The story is exciting enough, the screenplay has some nice elements to it, the direction is fine and the score by the legendary Miklos Rosza compliments the film beautifully. The acting isn't that bad really. John Phillip Law is likable enough in the lead, and Caroline Munro is incredibly beautiful. Tom Baker is a joy to behold as a somewhat campy villain(even so it works!), while Douglas Wilmer is good as the Vizier. The cinematography is skillful, and the scenery is splendid. What steals the film though are the fantastic special effects by Ray Harryhousen. They all look wonderful and meticulous after all this time. My favourites are the walking figurehead, the hideous centaur and the multi-armed statue. Overall, delightful film, well worth watching for the special effects alone. 9/10 Bethany Cox