Long ago in the mystical land of Persia there is a story told of a man, a man who is said to be destined to be a hero, a man would save his kingdom from an evil underhanded force that threatens to undone all that is good. This man is destined to become royalty but he is not born of royal blood this man is destined to become a hero. A hero known as The Prince of Persia "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is a visually stunning and grand special effects extravaganza that is based off the ultra-mega popular "Prince of Persia" video-game franchise that stretches over 21 years. However, it lacks the cohesive narrative and deep well thought out story that made the 2003 remake of the 1989 classic "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (the game for which this film is based upon) the phenomenal video game that it was. But do not be despaired Mike Newell's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" does have one thing going for it is fun and has some great action sequences coupled with mild special effects. Sad to say, that is all this film has going for it as the well thought story and decent plot are buried beneath the sands of CGI overload and any chances of this film succeeding as well.
Director Mike Newell(Four weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donnie Brasco, Pushing Tin and Mona Lisa Smile) is a director I do not have very much respect for now don't get me wrong he has made some exceptional films(Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Moreover, some not so exceptional films (Pushing Tin and Mona Lisa Smile) with "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” Newell lowers himself to nothing more than a mere action/adventure director. Who is more concerned with the special effects than of the story and plot that causes this already weak film to fall apart at seam, like a sweater when you keep pulling on a loose thread and as you keep pulling, the whole thing comes apart and ends up as nothing more than a tangle mess on the floor. That is in a nutshell how you could describe the pace of this picture; throughout the film there is nothing but wall to wall action ,unbelievable video-game styled stunts, and a plot twist that is not so shocking or new for that matter. There are moments in this film that are very good and lead me to believe that it had what it took to be great but then the over the top action sequences start completely overshadowing the good scenes that came before, lowering the level of this film from serious adventure film to hooky adventure comedy.
There is not much I can say in this films favor, other than that it has gorgeous local, beautiful cinematography and astounding set designs. Other than that, this film does not offer anything else to the viewer except pure eye candy from the visuals to Gemma Arterton. The script by Jordan Mechner (story), Boaz Yakin (director of Remember the Titans), Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard leaves much to be desired it has potential to be more than what it is. Nevertheless, the story of this film is drowned out by the visuals and the mediocrity of the script at crucial points in the film and the skill and care in others. I will admit that I was thoroughly entertained throughout this film but I was also bored at the same time, the fights and the free running stunts become a little boring half way in but they are stunning to look at and that is something(If anything at all). "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is as dull as it is spectacular, as chaotic as it is fun but even it being visually captivating and thoroughly entertaining can not save this film from falling short of expectations.
I like Jake Gyllenhaal I think he is a fantastic actor with a fine resume of films behind him most notably: "Zodiac"(2007), "Donnie Darko"(2001), "October Sky"(1999), "Jarhead"(2005), "Proof"(2005) and "Brothers"(2009). But in Mike Newell's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" he is so woefully miscast that it is almost laughable, actually it is laughable the dull jokes, the cliché way he portrays the hero Dastan always leaping and running about like a jackrabbit on steroids. Gyllenhaal is not completely to blame for his stale performance he has to rely on the script and the director which are both working at mediocre levels and against Gyllenhaal if there was a better script this film might have been able to live up to the epic hype that was established by marketing it was all for not. I will say this in his favor he does try his very best to make the role believable but he falls under the thumb of the poor script and laughably bad dialogue making him the biggest eyesore in the entire picture. The rest of the cast including Gemma Arterton, Toby Kebbell, Steve Toussiant, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup and Ben Kingsley with Alfred Molina either range from poor to average to pretty good is ham it up something fierce in this extremely flawed and poorly executed video-game adaptation that proves that a good video-game adaptation is impossible.
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" could have been more than what it was it could have been a high grade, out of this world adventure film that boggled the mind and challenged the viewers imaginations. Instead all it does is challenged the viewers to try and stay awake through the heavy amount of cheesy action sequences and a dull worn out plot twist that you can see coming from miles away. "Prince of Persia" is a film that leaves you severely wanting more than what you received and even though what you received, is entertaining it is not enough you come out wanting more, so much more. The film is on such a low level that it will only appeal to young children preferably between the ages of 10-14 who still think theses kind of action/adventure films are still cool but to older movie going audiences this will come off either as great entertainment or a pitiful adventure film with no class. Poor dialogue and grand but at sometimes-cheesy special effects "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is utterly underwhelming and cringe inducing painful, it could have been somebody instead of the cliché dull film that it is.
