DVD Corner

The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad 4K UHD Review

“The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad” is a classic fantasy adventure film. 

Based on the “One Thousand And One Nights” folk tales and adapted for the screen by Kenneth Kolb, 1958’s “The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad” begins with the brave and curious sailor Sinbad and his crew stopping off on the island of Colossa in search of food and water. They get more than they bargained for when they encounter a Cyclops and a magician running for his life (Sokurah). Sinbad manages to rescue Sokurah, but the magician is more concerned with leaving behind a magic lamp (which contains a genie). Sokurah wants Sinbad to help him get the lamp, but Sinbad is set to return to Baghdad where he is brokering a peace deal and marrying the Princess of Chandra. In order to get his way, Sokurah shrinks the Princess and forces Sinbad to voyage back to Colossa in order to retrieve ingredients for a potion to restore the Princess to normal size. The journey back to Colossa proves nothing short of dangerous as they encounter a mutineering crew, a Roc, a dragon, and a sword fighting skeleton. 

Director Nathan Juran is best known for sci-fi films like “20 Million Miles To Earth” and “Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman,” but his foray into the world of fantasy with “The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad” is arguably his finest achievement. This is the type of grand production film buffs yearn for. There’s a plethora of costumes, a triumphant Bernard Herrmann score, big sets, a mysterious island setting, creatures, magic, action, and a truly great villain in Sokurah (played by the fantastic Torin Thatcher). There’s no big named actors here vying for the spotlight. The entire cast and crew just came together and created a special fantasy adventure that has endured for decades.

If there is a star here it’s undoubtedly special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Not only did his pioneering stop motion model animation special effects influence generations of filmmakers and effects artists, but his larger than life creations simply steal the show. When you think about this movie you think about the serpent woman, the Roc, the dragon, the skeleton fight sequence, and, of course, the iconic Cyclops. His work was transcendent and showed what was possible in the special effects world. He captured viewers’ imaginations.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1 2160p. How does it look? Restored from the original camera negative, this Technicolor has mixed results on 4K. The film is overly grainy for a myriad of technical reasons, but it does stay true to the look of the film. There are plenty of shots here that do look exquisite as well.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? It may not reference level audio, but this 5.1 track still soars in every way from the score to the sounds of the Cyclops. 

Extras include a theatrical trailer (on the 4K), a Digital copy, a Blu-ray copy, “The Harryhausen Chronicles” hour-long documentary (on the 4K), commentary by visual effects wizards Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippet, Randall William Cook, and authors Steven Smith and Arnold Kunert, “The Music Of Bernard Herrmann” featurette, photo gallery, “Remembering The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad” retrospective with Ray Harryhausen, “The Harryhausen Legacy” (about Ray Harryhausen’s pioneering special effects), a music video dubbed “Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He’s Been Good To Me,” “A Look Behind The Voyage” (a vintage Harryhausen featurette), “This Is Dynamation” (vintage special effects featurette) and “Ray Harryhausen Interviewed by Director John Landis.”

July 26, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | 50s Film, fantasy, Ray Harryhausen, Sinbad The Sailor, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad 4K UHD Review