Sailing not so smooth with 'Sinbad'

The theater was deserted save for four young children who ran raucously down the aisles while their parents looked silently on. I wondered briefly about the emptiness as I sat down, but it didn't take me long to realize why. \n"Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" tells the tale of the great Arabian pirate and adventurer, Sinbad (voiced by Brad Pitt), who after being falsely accused of stealing the Book of Peace, is condemned to die. He is, however, given ten days to prove his innocence, and thus embarks on an extraordinary adventure to recover the stolen book. Sounds like the plan for a great movie, but for some reason, "Sinbad" fails to rise above mediocrity.\nThe plot needs some work, and lacks originality. "Sinbad" proves to be yet another Herculean story that got no more creative than its snowy monsters and dark-haired villain. All the half-hearted attempts at humor fail miserably and the characters themselves are poorly developed. Even the ultimate villain, Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer), Greek Goddess of Chaos, seems remarkably subdued -- her brief appearances throughout the movie are marked by passivity. She tends to merely watch events from her celestial sphere, while her plans flawlessly unravel themselves. \nThe voice work, though excellent, proved to be slightly distracting. I saw Pitt's shaggy blonde 'do more often than I registered Sinbad's rugged, brown haircut during the first half hour, thanks to his highly recognizable voice. The fact that this all-star voice cast, featuring celebrities such as Pitt, Pfeiffer and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was boasted to such an extreme in advertisements does little to help. Every preview seems to emphasize the presence of its featured stars to a much greater extent than it details any sort of plot. \nOverall, "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" proves to be no extraordinary affair despite some decent animation and special effects. While it remains an option to family moviegoers, I'd warn against any investments -- take my advice and go find Nemo instead, because the Book of Peace is pretty much a lost cause.