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Hollywood, California - Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Film Review by Lisa Miller (2010) Directed by Mike Newell, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup - Disney/Rated PG-13/Fantasy/109 minutes.
“Prince of Persia’s” $150-million-dollar-plus budget certainly indicates the studio intended to produce a blockbuster. Based on a video game of the same name, the film adaptation is backed by Disney, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Mike Newell whose “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” prepared him for this light, fantasy epic.
The film moves quickly despite the onslaught of expository dialog, but what appeal it has rests on the shoulders of the story’s sixth century characters.
Jake Gyllenhaal appears as Prince Dastan, an orphan adopted by King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) - following an impressive display of the lad’s bravery and acrobatic skills. The story fast-forwards 15 years, depicting a battle that leads to Dastan being framed for murder. His flight to escape persecution is joined by vanquished Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) - obliged to flee with the prince because it is she the gods appointed to protect the magical dagger now in his possession.
One of the film’s better strategies incorporates a feature common to 1940s films, a power struggle between an equally matched man and woman. Both fugitives are determined to control the dagger capable of turning back time. Refusing to admit their mutual attraction, the pair’s double-crosses engender further complications. One of these leads to an encounter with Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina), who attempts to steal the dagger for himself during an entertaining sequence that depicts Amar’s illegal ostrich races and his efforts to profit from track-side betting and liquor consumption.
Filmed in Morocco and on London’s Pinewood Studio lot, the film’s set and prop designers spent long hours studying museum pieces to recreate authentic scabbards and scimitars. The same can’t be said for the story’s vibrant East Indian interiors, accented by the occasional Persian rug. All the scenes are overlaid in rusty oranges, quite probably to warm the skin tones of Caucasians standing in for Persians.
There are few surprises, unless you count the presence of a heavily eyelinered Ben Kingsley in a garish performance as the royal uncle. The story requires Prince Dastan to run from one confrontation to the next, but it is unable to maintain a sense of urgency because Dastan unrealistically believes he will regain the love and trust of the royal family that was so easily turned against him.
During its opening weekend “Prince of Persia,” took in a respectable, but perhaps disappointing $30 million. The film virtually tied the week’s other major release, “Sex and the City 2,” a sequel generating $32 million exclusive of its Thursday opening. In its second week out, “Shrek Forever After,” won the weekend box office with $43 million in ticket sales.
Based on a highly successful video game, Disney’s “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time,” recreates the game’s parkour-style acrobatics, integrating these into virtually all the action.
Warner’s “Sex and the City 2” is the second film based on HBO’s popular drama-dey, a series tracking close friendships between four women grappling with female issues.
Finally, DreamWorks’ moneymaking fourth Shrek film is drawn from a series of popular children’s books.
Judging by the number movies that are remakes, adaptations of comic books, video games, television shows or are the result of sequel-mania - either major studios have run out of original ideas, or they are no longer willing to bet blockbuster bucks on them.
“Prince of Persia’s” $150-million-dollar-plus budget certainly indicates the studio intended to produce a blockbuster. Based on a video game of the same name, the film adaptation is backed by Disney, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Mike Newell whose “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” prepared him for this light, fantasy epic.
The film moves quickly despite the onslaught of expository dialog, but what appeal it has rests on the shoulders of the story’s sixth century characters.
Jake Gyllenhaal appears as Prince Dastan, an orphan adopted by King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) - following an impressive display of the lad’s bravery and acrobatic skills. The story fast-forwards 15 years, depicting a battle that leads to Dastan being framed for murder. His flight to escape persecution is joined by vanquished Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) - obliged to flee with the prince because it is she the gods appointed to protect the magical dagger now in his possession.
One of the film’s better strategies incorporates a feature common to 1940s films, a power struggle between an equally matched man and woman. Both fugitives are determined to control the dagger capable of turning back time. Refusing to admit their mutual attraction, the pair’s double-crosses engender further complications. One of these leads to an encounter with Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina), who attempts to steal the dagger for himself during an entertaining sequence that depicts Amar’s illegal ostrich races and his efforts to profit from track-side betting and liquor consumption.
Filmed in Morocco and on London’s Pinewood Studio lot, the film’s set and prop designers spent long hours studying museum pieces to recreate authentic scabbards and scimitars. The same can’t be said for the story’s vibrant East Indian interiors, accented by the occasional Persian rug. All the scenes are overlaid in rusty oranges, quite probably to warm the skin tones of Caucasians standing in for Persians.
There are few surprises, unless you count the presence of a heavily eyelinered Ben Kingsley in a garish performance as the royal uncle. The story requires Prince Dastan to run from one confrontation to the next, but it is unable to maintain a sense of urgency because Dastan unrealistically believes he will regain the love and trust of the royal family that was so easily turned against him.
During its opening weekend “Prince of Persia,” took in a respectable, but perhaps disappointing $30 million. The film virtually tied the week’s other major release, “Sex and the City 2,” a sequel generating $32 million exclusive of its Thursday opening. In its second week out, “Shrek Forever After,” won the weekend box office with $43 million in ticket sales.
Based on a highly successful video game, Disney’s “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time,” recreates the game’s parkour-style acrobatics, integrating these into virtually all the action.
Warner’s “Sex and the City 2” is the second film based on HBO’s popular drama-dey, a series tracking close friendships between four women grappling with female issues.
Finally, DreamWorks’ moneymaking fourth Shrek film is drawn from a series of popular children’s books.
Judging by the number movies that are remakes, adaptations of comic books, video games, television shows or are the result of sequel-mania - either major studios have run out of original ideas, or they are no longer willing to bet blockbuster bucks on them.
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