Or the kiddie version of the war in Iraq
Lover: Taken from IMDB
“As a Prince of Persia fan i enjoyed this movie. The Park our scenes were stunning. There is a lot of Action in this movie which is in my view a good decision. If you are looking for a some good Swords battles you will enjoy this Movie. the different Assassins characters were also a interesting part of this Movie. I have to mention that Disney done a great job with the atmosphere Music in this Movie. I think Disney did a great job with this movie,at first i was very skeptical with Disney producing it. But with Pirates of the Caribbean and Prince of Persia I'm very satisfied with Disney's quality as a big blockbuster Movie Producer. Overall it was a Good Movie, i will buy the Blue ray version of it.“
A little too much praise really and I don’t like the constant use of “this movie”.
Hater: Taken from IMDB
“ If I thought the overlong, frightfully dull "Avatar" contained and rehashed every Hollywood cliché ever used, albeit in blue, "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" runs the gamut of every mindless Hollywood action-feature effect, computerized or not, and even as an admittedly escapism event, it falls short of any intended mark. It is obvious that there is little new under the Hollywood sun. Frankly, 1942's "Arabian Nights" did this plot line much better and Shemp Howard, of Three Stooges fame, surpassed Alfred Molina's deadly dull and ineffective attempt at humor. Jake Gyllenhaal, in spite of much daring-do stunts and macho posturing, is still not the virile stud hero that his handlers are trying to turn him into, and Arterton's clichéd bitchy dialog becomes tedious after 10 minutes. It's a shallow waste of time from beginning to end and how Ben Kingsley could keep a straight face throughout this loud, noisy romp is a testament to his enormous experience in front of a camera. “
Possibly a little to harsh but they are right Price of Persia does fall short of what it’s aiming to be.
What I thought:
The old video game adaptation curse rears its ugly head again, even with the muscle of Bruckheimer, Disney and Gylenhall it still falls short of being a great movie let alone a great adaptation. The biggest problem with video games that are made into films is that fine line between making a film that draws in the games fanbase (essential in getting the film made in the first place) and drawing enough of everyone else. What usually happens is a confused blur of video game violence, stunning if seizure inducing visuals and paper thin characters.
Prince of Persia is no exception, our hero Dastan is the adopted son and thus prince to the King of all Persia. He’s a bit of a rebel and thief not to mention very good at parkour, he grows into a fine Prince, the buffed up Jake Gylenhall all but un-recognizable if it wasn’t for his face. To be fair to him he makes the best of a bad situation, his Dastan is charming in most places and the humour comes across well delivered. When our hero is betrayed and framed for murdering his father, in front of everyone I might add, a little confusing if you’re planning on not being caught? He must do a runner with a mystical dagger and a need to clear his name.
Thus starts a fun a frolicking ride through the desert which Gemma Artherton comes along for the ride, as Princess Tamina the card board cut out boisterous princess. The expected tug of war romance you’ve been expecting starts and though performed admirably is undermined by the surroundings. Sir Ben Kingsley does his best pantomime villain and as it turns out can hamm it up with the best of them and the less said about Alfred Molina’s poorly written merchant come Arabian gangster the better.
The most baffling thing about Prince of Persia is however none of the above, a lot of what goes on is half expected once you’ve seen the trailer and know who was involved in making it. No that award goes to the number of political references that are hammered into the script whether they fitted or not! It centres mainly on Americas presence in the Middle East, The Persian army are lead to believe that a particularly holy place has “new weapons” as it turns out they don’t, Of course you could go further and the dagger itself being the elusive “Weapon of mass destruction”. It feels forced and every actor involved seems to know it, so much so that you wouldn’t be surprised if one minute they look to camera and knowingly wink at you.
It just doesn’t work for a video game adaptation let alone a swashbuckling Hollywood Blockbuster that was supposed to be the new Pirates of the Caribbean.
Currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray
Running Time: 116 mins
Cert:12
