The czar of big-budget monster films Jerry Bruckheimer takes a videogame and turns it into a larger-than-life affair.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
u/a; drama/action
Dir: Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton
**1/2
What's it about: The czar of big-budget monster films Jerry Bruckheimer takes a videogame and turns it into a larger-than-life affair.
While Frodo and Sam protected the ring in the Tolkien epic, here a rebellious prince (Jake) joins hands with a princess (Gemma) to protect a magical dagger capable of rewinding time.u00a0
Along the way, he has to expose treacherous plans of family members and battle villains with dark powers. He does all this with his dagger and well-sculpted six-pack abs.
What's hot: For someone who has played the videogame, the biggest high is watching some of the actual scenes being brought to life in on the big screen.
The Prince of Persia is swift on his feet and almost flies through the air and crawls over deadly walls that separate treacherous traps.
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Most of his movements from the game have been retained with the use of parkour and CGI using agility and speed at the right places where required.
There are moments when you wonder if 3D could have actually worked in the film's favour. With studios injecting the technology at a latter stage, Bruckheimer missed a golden opportunity to embellish his film.
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Most of the fight scenes involve old school hand-to-hand combat with the exception when he's battling snakes and other creatures. Despite the large canvas, Mike Newell maintains the videogame references throughout.
What's not: For a film derived from a fantasy game, there's always the risk of coming off as too surreal or devoid of any substance.
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Jake Gyllenhaal, despite the pilates and zillion crunches, looks but never feels the part.
He seemed way more comfortable shaking his booty in Jarhead or even planting a kiss in Brokeback Mountain. As Prince Dastan, he looks like a gypsy boy gone astray.
The dialogue is downright funny when meant to be serious. Maybe they lifted the lines from the transition scenes in the game! Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molinau00a0 dab excessive eyeliners to prove they are evil.
Gemma Arterton is eye candy enough to keep us entertained, but when it comes to being Dastan's sidekick, she isn't any match.
What to do: The game is a much better adventure than the film. This Prince is strictly for those wanting throwback action scenes and rich visuals.
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