Brave sailor Sinbad (an engaging performance by John Phillip Law) goes to the island of Lemuria in search of the mystical Fountain of Destiny. Assisting Sinbad on his perilous journey are the badly scarred Grand Vizier (solid Douglas Wilmer) of Marabia, ravishing slave girl Margiana (a positively enchanting turn by the gorgeous Caroline Munro, who looks smoking hot in skimpy outfits),loyal crew member Omar (the always excellent Aldo Sambrell),and a helpful oracle (an unrecognizable Robert Shaw under extensive make-up). Out to thwart Sinbad is wicked and powerful black wizard Prince Koura (superbly played by Tom Baker of "Dr. Who" fame),a surprisingly complex and strangely sympathetic villain who needs to find the Fountain of Destiny to regain his youth. Director Gordon Hessler, working from a witty script by Brian Clemens (who also gave us the terrific "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter"),ably creates a charming magical atmosphere and maintains a steady, if occasionally rather sluggish pace throughout. Ray Harryhausen's wonderfully lifelike and expressive stop-motion animation creatures include a tiny winged flying homunculus who spies for Koura, a ship's wooden siren masthead which comes dangerously alive, a sword-wielding six-armed Kali statue, a ferocious gigantic cyclopean centaur, and a golden griffin who fights the centaur in an especially exciting set piece. Ted Moore's rich, vibrant cinematography, Miklos Rozsa's lush, rousing, spirited score and a perfectly pitched sincere tone of awestruck wonder further enhance the overall superior quality of this immensely enjoyable fantasy adventure delight.

Sinbad (John Phillip Law) is in search of the third part to a golden map. However, the evil magician, Koura (Tom Baker),is out to steal this for himself--using his black magic to try to defeat the powers of niceness. Interestingly, however, every time Koura uses his demonic powers, they extract life from him--making him look progressively older and more haggard. In fact, this character is the most interesting one in this film and I found myself rooting for him since Sinbad and his friends were a bit dull by comparison.

Along the way, you see statues seemingly come to life, Koura's little gargoyle-like spy and other stop-motion characters done by Ray Harryhaussen. By today's standards they are a bit lame but CGI was decades later and this was the best we had back the old days when dinosaurs ruled the Earth (in other words, when I was a kid). While not exactly realistic, it was pretty cool entertainment--though I assume younger audiences might roll their eyes at such characters.

So is it worth seeing? Well, its fun and Caroline Munro isn't bad on the eyes. But what I enjoyed the most was seeing Baker--who not only did a good job as the baddie, Koura, but would soon go on to gain fame as the next Doctor on "Dr. Who". This was pretty interesting--and the film worth seeing. It's fun escapism.

By the way, the statue supposedly of Kali looks little like her (Kali has a horrific face and a necklace of skulls) but more like Shiva or Vishnu. However, one of the priests in this same place wore a mask that looked very much like Kali--scary, tusked and with the skulls surrounding its face. I am sure Hindus in the audience would have quickly spotted this inconsistency and the film makers should have gotten this right. But, as other Harryhausen mythological films NEVER get it right, I guess it's just par for the course.

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