Rating:  

Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Walt Disney Pictures.

Written By: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, adapted from the video game series, “Prince Of Persia”, created by Jordan Mechner.

Not proficient in video gaming at all, I was kindly informed by a friend of mine that “Prince Of Persia” was a long-running popular video game series. Now having seen “Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time”, director Mike Newell and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have tried to replicate the feel and playability of a video game on the big screen to middling returns.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dastan, an adopted son of the King of Persia, who has grown up with the love and trust of his brothers and loving uncle, Nazim (Ben Kingsley). Uncle Nazim has learned that a neighboring territory, Alamut, has been feeding the sworn enemies of Persia, the Kosh, with deadly weapons in their efforts to defeat the Persians. Dastan is passed over for battle by his father, in favor of his two brothers, and nonetheless assembles a group of fighters to assist in the impending attacks on Alamut in anyway they can. Dastan’s group gains access to the city and Dastan fights off a messenger, obtaining a bejeweled dagger from his defeated foe. The dagger belongs to the beloved Alamutian princess, Tamina (Gemma Arterton) and Dastan’s victory and seizing of the dagger impresses his brothers. Taking the princess into custody, the brothers argue over who will marry Tamina and ultimately, the King awards the princess to Dastan as his first wife.

On this particular day it is also the King’s birthday and after misplacing his personal gift to his father, Dastan presents Alamutian holy robes given to him by one of his brothers. The party and celebration comes to an immediate end when the robes possess a mystical curse and begin to burn the King, leading to his sudden demise. Holding the mystical dagger, Dastan escapes after being accused as the murderer of the King. He is quickly joined by Tamina, who also escapes her captors but desperately wants the dagger back in her possession as she feels it is her birthright to own it. On the run and unable to trust one another, Dastan and Tamina attempt to save not just their names, but also their kingdoms and themselves, while also determining what led to the King’s death.

Movies like “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” are reasons why people love to debate the movies. To one pair of eyes, the film is an amazing thrill ride full of action, adventure, excitement, and gripping entertainment. To another, the film is a punchless, shallow scripted, paint-by-numbers, unoriginal, mindless summer blockbuster. So whose right? Well, they both are because “Prince of Persia…” is, at one point or another, all of those things rolled into one.

Good moments play with bad. Light humor mixes with expected romance between Dastan and Tamina. Thrilling adventure sequences lose their shine when placed into the context of the film’s plot. Edge of your seat sequences are often stifled by inane dialogue you’ve heard a million times before between characters on the run from “bad guys.” It is a frustrating watch, as if Mike Newell’s directing brought one set of eyes to the picture and Jerry Bruckheimer’s producer’s eye brought another.

For better or worse, the elements of video gaming run throughout much of the film. Dastan and virtually all of the characters utilize Parkour – the athletic discipline which believes that the whole world is an obstacle course. Of course video game characters leap and jump from building to object to object to building, so even though Parkour may seem out of place in a sword-and-sandals fantasy, much of the action sequences are technically quite impressive. But with all the spectacle of action and adventure acknowledged, the film doesn’t feel special or have that “cool” factor. The pacing feels off and the movie never really hits a stride. Virtually every action sequence ends with a concluding moment, as if a boss was defeated and the game is loading up the next level of play.

If I wanted to play the game, I would play the game, you know?

I am pleased to say that Jake Gyllenhaal seems surprisingly comfortable in his first major action/adventure role. Gyllenhaal is a fine actor and his nods and winks and cracked smiles allow him to not take any of this too seriously, while looking and creating a convincing character that Bruckheimer can build sequels around.

Contrarily, Gemma Arterton’s role as Tamina is a step back for the new actress I fear. In the muddled and confusing 2010 remake of “Clash of the Titans”, Arterton stood out as a strong counterpart to the male lead. Perhaps the difference is that this is Jake Gyllenhaal and that was Sam Worthington, but she seems overmatched at times.

Or, perhaps it was the ridiculous orange spray-and-go tan that she was forced to wear throughout the film. I’m not kidding. Her glow was distracting. Petty, perhaps, but I couldn’t take her work very seriously because of it.

Alfred Molina steals the picture as a tax-hating sheik who abducts Dastan and Tamina, but at the promise of gold changes his tune. I will not comment on Ben Kingsley’s now all-too familiar mascara-laden bad guy performance because he seems to be phoning this one in. So, if he doesn’t care then I don’t care either.

Pretty entertaining, but oddly timed, paced, and edited, “Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time” is too inconsistent to earn a wholehearted recommendation. But if this is the start of a new Disney franchise, then it serves as a passable first story with a foundation to perhaps develop into something pretty great.

Then again, did the “…Persia” games get better or worse after the “Sands Of Time” series ended? Therein lies the expectation I suppose.

Should I See It?

YES

It’s a relatively harmless Disney-actioner which, for appropriate audiences, will be a crowd pleaser.

Fans of the “Sands Of Time” trilogy video game series will undoubtedly be interested in how this plays on the big screen.

Jake Gyllenhaal makes a great Dastan and fears of his being miscast are off the mark.

Parkour in an ancient civilization. Mystical daggers which can transform the space/time continuum. Fantasy, sci-fi, romance, action, comedy – there is something here for pretty much everyone.

NO

Wildly inconsistent, its pacing throws off the overall effect of the film. Action scenes seem lumped together and at times, I got lost in expository dialogue which ultimately meant nothing.

Are those wires I can see on the Parkour stunts? Really? Oh, come on!

Gemma Arterton may be bankable and camera-ready but this role and her performance (and orange appearance) really takes away from what works here.

Jerry Bruckheimer films generally are all pretty packaging and little content. Fine for some, aggravating for others. If this is the first in a series, okay. If this is “1-and-done”, then its another Bruckheimer incomplete.