Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Well, the score here isn't that high, but it's certainly enough for a good movie. I admit to knowing little about the "Prince Of Persia" games. Then again, that might be for the better. Seeing as how video game movies so poorly represent their source material, I don't what to know if they botched it. Well, this is quite faithful as far as I know. I had no idea Ben Kingsley would be in another video game movie, not that it would be hard to be in a better movie than "BloodRayne". I guess the film's biggest strengths are how nice it looks and how the actors are fairly good. It's probably the best live-action video game adaptation I've ever seen.I simply have to say good things like this on at least one of these movies. I admit the plot is a little weak. It didn't seem to really explain how the magic dagger worked that well. Still, as far as leave your brain at the door movies go, this was quite enjoyable. It certainly has interesting ideas and it does have some nice twists. I do like how he initially thinks his father was killed by his brother but it's really his uncle. Does that make this a loose interpretation of "Hamlet"? It's a fairly fun movie. ***

This movie seems to be based on a computer game, which I never tried and didn't know until I watched the movie. Past in the late period of the Persian Empire, with absolutely fictional characters, its not a historical film and has no relation with historical truth. It's all an invention, a fantasy. The script is interesting, promising entertainment and fulfilling this promise in a very positive way. Jake Gyllenhaal gives life to the film in the lead role, standing out in well-constructed action scenes. Ben Kingsley is a convincing and well-built villain, though it's a bit obvious he's, or will be, the film's big antagonist. Gemma Arterton was OK in her role, which mixes a bit of "Xena, Warrior Princess" and "lady in distress". The remaining actors are in supporting characters but they do their work well enough. The ending, however, is a bit sudden and unsettled from what was happening as if, in the middle of the movie, the protagonist became Indiana Jones and everything turned into a game of deadly, utterly boring, mazes and traps. Either way, this movie is good enough to entertain the audience, it's fun, it has very good action scenes, good CGI and a regular cinematography.

This is one movie I'd definitely recommend to families with late elementary/middle school aged kids. It's not overly cheesy or dumbed down in my opinion. The casting is spot on too, Gylanhaal is perfect for the lead role and Kingsley sure is a great villain, very believable and fitting for the character. The dialogue is typical action/fantasy movie type stuff, nothing really surprising or anything that breaks the mold, but I didn't really see that as a bad thing, I received what I was expecting on the writing front and was happy with it. The special effects and visuals were pretty good looking, nothing that'll win many awards, but not fake looking or cheap by any means. The costume design was another thing I liked, Jake Gylanhaal's period piece costume fit his bodily Physique very well, and his body was very in shape for this movie, another reason he was good for the character. Gemma Arterton was good. The acting was overall good, and the entertainment value was definitely there, which is ultimately the sole purpose for this movie existing. This movie and other movies like this exist only for the purpose of being pure popcorn fun, entertaining the audience and giving them a fun ride to enjoy. And Prince of Persia: Sands of Time did that for me. 7/10.

I had such high hopes for this film. The computer game it was made after is awesome, so I guess I was expecting something along those lines. But as always films after video games rarely live up to expectations (well, the expectations of gamers anyway). Maybe that is really the problem: you play a game that you really enjoy and you expect the film to be just like that. However, they won't just take story and characters and make them into a film one to one. They want to produce something new. That's how misfortune usually takes its course.I would even concede that for someone who doesn't know the game this may be a decent film. It has flawless visuals and a high calibre cast. I do strongly disagree with casting Gyllenhaal and Arterton as male and female leads. I know especially Gyllenhaal was a hot name at the time and I know this is common practice in Hollywood - but what would have been wrong with casting young actors from a Middle-Eastern background to be *Persians*?Casting choice aside there are several things that I miss in the film. These are things that I say in comparison to the game. I do, however, also believe that any viewer (familiar with the game or not) would have benefited from them. The plot is one. In the game the prince feels responsible for unleashing the power of the Sands of Time and he sets about fixing things. In the movie we also get a generic "usurper to the throne" plot line - or was that a hint at the plot of the original Prince of Persia? Next up are the stunts. Why did the sleek parcours style moves from the game not feature much more prominently in the film? The only hint at them is at the very beginning but they are not seen again. That would have made for some epic fights! What else? What about the eerie time monsters that made the game memorable? Were they considered too scary for the target audience? They were certainly not too scary for teenage gamers. Finally, what happened to the game's strong female lead? She could hold her own and even saved the prince more than once while at the same time becoming his love interest part of his motivation to succeed. The relationship felt equal with some funny banter between them. Pretty as Arterton is I don't remember that kind chemistry in the film.So, if seen as an independent film Prince of Persia is probably an only slightly generic and entertaining enough fantasy epic. But then why even name it after the game if the ties are loose at best? I know the answer, of course: hot, young actors + popular game franchise = $$$.