This is the second of a four-part review of Via Vision Entertainment’s The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen boxset. Be sure to check out the first review for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

When I was younger The Golden Voyage of Sinbad used to be my favorite Ray Harryhausen movie. I’m only onto my second of four films from the Via Vision Entertainment released Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen set, but I think this one is still my favorite. It had been a number of years since I watched this one however, and I will say I noticed a few things that I didn’t pick up on so much when I was a kid. More to come on that later.

This Sinbad adventure from 1973 sees John Philip Law in the role of fearless our hero. While Sinbad and his crew are out exploring the sea they spot a flying creature up above. From a distance the creature looks like a bird but once it gets closer it kind of looks like a small dragon. The creature is carrying something shiny which it drops on the deck of the ship. Sinbad picks the item up and it turns out to be part of a golden tablet. Naturally Sinbad decides to wear this around his neck.

That night while Sinbad is having an odd dream an unexpected storm hits sending the ship off course.  The next day the crew comes across a small coastal town. Sinbad decides to explore, because that’s what he does, and there he encounters Koura (Tom Baker), a mysterious figure dressed in all black. Koura informs Sinbad that the tablet around his neck belongs to him. Instead of avoiding any conflict by retuning the golden tablet, Sinbad makes a mad dash to the city.

Once in the city Sinbad meets Vizier (Douglas Wilmer). Vizier explains that he has the second piece of the tablet and that they must not let Koura get it as it comes with great power, power that Koura will use for evil. Vizier explains that once the tablet is completely put together it reveals a map that leads to the Fountain of Destiny. Sinbad and Vizier head out together to follow the map but Koura is hot on their tail.

Sinbad is always portrayed as very heroic, the good guy here to save the day, but watching this now and I got a bit of a different vibe. For starters once the golden tablet falls on his ship a member of his crew warns that it is bad luck and advises Sinbad to get rid of it. Sinbad is like, “nah, it’s gold I think I’ll keep it.” That night the storm hits out of nowhere blowing them off course.

The next day when the crew approaches the coastal town that same crew member tells Sinbad that it’s bad luck and asks him once again to get rid of the tablet. Sinbad decides he’s getting out and then he meets Koura. Koura turns out to be a sorcerer of sorts who chases Sinbad and his crew down. A few crew members die during the chase. Do you see the pattern? Sinbad is kind of a dick.

Sure, Sinbad still saves the day, but he creates these situations that put people in a position where they need saving. If Sinbad wasn’t so selfish and so obsessed with chasing gold and treasure then perhaps he wouldn’t need to save everybody all the time? Just a thought.

Despite my newfound theory that Sinbad is actually just a major dick, I still do love The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Like basically all Harryhausen work it holds up incredibly well. The creature design is fantastic and as always the movements are flawless and incredibly fluid. It’s a pure thing of beauty. Harryhausen definitely had a way with stop-motion that no one before or since has been able to capture.

I also think this is one of the scarier Harryhausen pieces of work and is actually quite violent. The last two battles in particular take things up a notch. First you have two awesome creatures going at it and things get pretty dark when Koura gets involved. I know these are fictional stop-motion beasts, but seeing one choke the other out is pretty grim. Then the fight between Koura and Sinbad raises the stakes even more, ending in what is essentially a fountain a blood. It’s all very gnarly.

As a nice little bonus for horror fans Caroline Munro stars as Margiana, a girl who Sinbad buys to provide her with her freedom. Munro will most likely be remembered for her role in William Lustig’s Maniac. Munro actually isn’t given much to do here, but she is nice to see on screen. She kind of serves as Sinbad’s love interest, but they don’t really get into that too much. It’s mostly just implied.

I don’t know if this is the same transfer as the long since sold out and OOP Twilight Time release (I think it likely is), but what Via Vision has included here is absolutely gorgeous. This movie is full of bright, vivid colors and they all pop. Every detail looks wonderful. You have a little bit of grain during some of the darker scenes, but this is all minimal.

Furthering my belief that this Via Vision release is the same as the Twilight Time version is the special features. Here we get three featurettes about some of Harryhausen’s other work, all of which were also on the Twilight Time release. These are nice and informative tidbits that offer up clips of the other films as well as insight from Harryhausen himself. The best of the three is for Earth vs Flying Saucers because Joe Dante is actually interviewing Harryhausen. I’m a huge Dante fan, so seeing him interview a legend like Harryhausen just adds an extra layer of special to this one.

I’m half way through the Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen and at this point it seems like a no brainer to pick this one up. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is one of two films on this set that is no longer available on Blu-ray in the US (without paying a TON from a third party). You can order this set, which is Region Free so it will play in any US player, from JB Hi-Fi for just over $50 whereas getting just The Golden Voyage of Sinbad US release from a third party on Amazon will currently cost you over $150.00. If you want these Harryhausen films, and I think you should want them, this is definitely the way to go.