“A HOT FILM FROM A FAIR VIDEO GAME”
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Richard Coyle and Steve Toussaint
Directed by: Mike Newell
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation, Video Game
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Run Time: 1hr and 55min
Studio: Walt Disney Studios
By John Delia
Jumping right into action, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time starts its non-stop adventure and it’s mighty good. Jerry Bruckheimer knows how to produce films making something out of nothing and from a cool video game he puts together a filmmaking team that comes up a winner. If you are a gamer and you like your movies with a lot of excitement, swordplay and chases you will definitely want to catch this film.
The movie centers on Dastan (Gyllenhaal) a young man who was born of the streets and by a quirk of fate becomes a prince to a Persian King. The action begins following a decision by Prince Tus (Richard Coyle) to invade the holy city of Alamut when he gets information that the city is supplying weapons to the enemies of Persia. Leading a secret invasion Dastan gets into the castle and helps to bring an early end to the fighting. King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) makes his way to the castle and takes over its leadership after capturing princess Tamina (Arterton).
As an honor for helping to defeat Alamut, Dastan gets to present King Sharaman with a cloak as a symbol of their conquest. When the cloak turns out to be a poisonous weapon that kills the king, Dastan gets accused of the deed. Fleeing the castle with the help of Tamina and a special dagger, Dastin sets out to find who the real murderer is and return to his rightful place alongside the new king of Persia, his brother Tus.
The stunts, acting, cinematography and direction are in perfect tandem providing a thrill ride that kept me entertained from its action filled beginning to twisty ending. Gyllenhaal is perfectly cast as Dastan the courageous and relentless hero of the film. Building up his frame to fit the part, doing a lot of the amazing stunts and providing a character that is fun to watch, Gyllenhaal certainly deserves the most praise.
I would be remiss however if I didn’t mention the great work by Ben Kingsley as the King’s crafty brother and Alfred Molina who creates a wickedly devilish character that adds some comic relief. Helping to keep all male eyes glued to the screen, Gemma Arterton provides an awesome display of beauty, energy and sensuality.
If there is a downside it comes with the territory so to speak. It’s not an easy task to make a film based on a video game as witnessed by several past attempts and
although Mike Newell does an admirable job with Prince of Persia, some of the scenes looked like they used a remote control to keep the relentless action going. You know, pressing the A key to make your character jump higher, the B key to duck and thrust and the trigger to speed up the action. All kidding aside, it’s a non-stop adventure that provides some very good thrills and worth a replay.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action. The snakes, swordplay and other forms of violence may be a little strong for the pre-teens so let them stay home and play Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on their Xbox and get an advance look at the sequel.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â An adventure that thrills. (4 of 5 Palm Trees)