Summary
- Sinbad adaptations vary in quality and reception, from cult classics like "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" to box office bombs like "Legend of the Seven Seas".
- The portrayal of Sinbad ranges from ancient to modern, with attempts at Harryhausen homages that sometimes fall flat with audiences.
- Some adaptations, like the Sinbad Anime Film Series, stay true to the original story while others, like "Son of Sinbad," focus more on Hollywood glamour.
The story of Sinbad has been adapted multiple times over the years, but some versions rank higher than others, whether on Rotten Tomatoes or by audience opinion. Whether it's a Japanese anime film series or an American film from the 1980s, movies about the famous sailor have retold his story numerous times. Many of the stories have been recognized for their value, such as the Ray Harryhausen cult classics, while others have slowly faded into obscurity.
Unlike other real-life pirates and sailors, Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional character who has been adapted into many different versions of the story. In the story from 1001 Arabian Nights, Sinbad is a poor sailor who complains to God about how the rich live easily and he must suffer. One of the rich overhears and sends a porter (also Sinbad) who tells the sailor Sinbad about the time the porter went on seven voyages to find his wealth.
Disney Is Adapting 1001 Nights Into An Action Fantasy/Sci-Fi Movie
Disney is returning to the world of 1001 Nights with a brand-new feature film that aims to explore the classic Middle Eastern story collection.
19 The 7 Adventures of Sinbad (2010)
Starring: Patrick Muldoon (Adrian Sinbad), Bo Svenson (Simon Magnusson)
The modern-day setting for the film is confusing and the cultural appropriation of the natives portrayed in the film is insulting to the story of Sinbad.
The lowest-ranking movie on this list, this B-movie Sinbad adaptation boasts only a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and for plenty of good reasons. Unlike other versions of the classic tale, the story attempts to set Sinbad's story in the modern day. Unfortunately, it does not work at all for the movie and it failed spectacularly. The modern-day setting for the film is confusing and the cultural appropriation of the natives portrayed in the film is insulting to the story of Sinbad.
18 Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor (1974)
Starring: Jan Tríska (The Narrator)
Pohádky tisíce a jedné noci or The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor in English is an interesting film to watch. Originally released as a series of shorts, the story is true to the Sinbad tale and uses the Persian style of storytelling in which the animation is styled like paper cutouts. Unfortunately, the movie only has one version available on YouTube and has no subtitles available, which means that audiences may spend more time translating than actually enjoying the story.
17 Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage (2014)
Starring: Patrick Stewart (Narrator), Sharon Sean Solomon (Sinbad), Said Faraj (The Deev)
This film had lots of bad reviews from audiences but was reasonably well-liked by the critics. Unfortunately, not even Patrick Stewart's narration was enough for this movie to be any good. Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage tries to emulate the Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films, and it does not work. The acting is sub-par, which affects the entire movie and makes it look like a rip-off version of Harryhausen, complete with weird action sequences fighting an eight-armed monster and saving a stereotypical princess in distress.
16 Sindbad Alibaba & Aladdin (1965)
Starring: Pradeep Kumar (Sindbad), Agha (Ali Baba), Bhagwan (Aladdin)
While the movie itself has amazing costumes and songs, it tries to stay as close to the original story as possible.
This movie is an interesting version of the classic story in that Sinbad's name is spelled Sindbad and it also features Aladdin from the classic tale One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. While the movie itself has amazing costumes and songs, it tries to stay as close to the original story as possible. Unfortunately, it is difficult to understand storywise and is a bit of a visual mess. The only version of the film is on YouTube and it is grainy with background noise. According to one YouTuber, the translated subtitles are also out of sync, making it hard to understand what is going on.
15 Son of Sinbad (1955)
Starring: Dale Robertson (Sinbad), Sally Forrest (Ameer), Vincent Price (Omar Khayyám), Lili St. Cyr (Nerissa)
Starring Vincent Price and Dale Robertson, this version of Sinbad is visually beautiful and is considered to be a classic. Due to issues with the Hays Production Code, Son of Sinbad wasn't released until 1955 (via AFI). While there are some interesting actors attached to the movie, like Dale Robertson and Vincent Price, the focus is primarily on the women involved in the movie and making them as sexualized as possible. This takes away from the original story and just doesn't work for the film, making it more of a Hollywood sex symbol movie than an adventure starring Sinbad.
14 Captain Sindbad (1963)
Starring: Guy Williams (Sindbad), Heidi Brühl (Princess Jana), Pedro Armendáriz (El Kerim), Abraham Sofaer (Galgo)
While the plot is very good and works well for the scene, the special effects are not that great and look very grainy.
This version of the Sinbad story is an interesting one as it focuses a lot on swashbuckler action that was popular in the 1960s. Like some of the movies on this list, it is a Harryhausen wannabe complete with damsels in distress and one of Hollywood's top actors at the time. While the plot is very good and works well for the scene, the special effects are not that great and look very grainy. Having played the swashbuckling Zorro in Disney's Zorro, Williams' professional fencing skills are second to none and it is one of the few saving graces in the film.
13 Sinbad and the Minotaur (2011)
Starring: Manu Bennett (Sinbad), Holly Brisley (Tara), Steven Grives (Al Jibbar)
Another B-movie, Sinbad and the Minotaur, ranks a bit higher on the list due to the predictable action sequences and acting that is a bit over-the-top. The film combines the stories of Sinbad with the Greek legend of the Minotaur. It is one of those films that is known being so bad to the point of being funny and it was not well-received by audiences when it came out in 2011. There are no big names attached to the movie, and it is a bit on the strange side of B movies.
12 Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989)
Starring: Lou Ferrigno (Sinbad), John Steiner (Jaffar), Prince Ali (Roland Wybenga)
While this film was universally panned when it came out in 1989 due to the low production budget and cheesy acting, it has since become a cult classic. With an Indiana Jones vibe in the trailer and the movie as a whole, there's a heavy focus on the plot as the muscular Sinbad saves the damsel in distress. Despite the bad reviews and predictable acting, Sinbad of the Seven Seas is one of those movies that is so bad that it's funny, similar to the Sharknado film series.
11 Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists (2000)
Starring: Brendan Fraser (Sinbad), John Rhys-Davies (King Chandra), Jennifer Hale (Princess Serena), Leonard Nimoy (Baraka), Mark Hamill (Captain of the Guards)
Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists is one of the few movies that is animated and is not very well known. The 2000 film was billed as one of the first animated movies using 3-D motion capture. It was not well-received at the box office, but has several famous names attached, including Brendan Fraser who is the title character and Star Wars' Mark Hamill. The animation is on the clunky side, and it can remind audiences of the popular video game, The Sims. Overall, the story is well done, and the characters make it a film to watch for animation fans.
10 Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1964)
Starring: Gordon Mitchell (Omar), Dan Harrison (Sindbad/Ali Baba), Bella Cortez (Princess Fatima)
Known as Simbad contro i sette saraceni in Italy, this film is not that well known and only has one review on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is a bit on the grainy side with background static throughout, but it is a good movie with action sequences and romance. Sinbad is not the main star but a side character, while an evil warlord is the focus of the film. Like most of the Sinbad movies on this list, there is a damsel in distress, but it works well for the movie and the action sequences are interesting to watch.