Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
Year: 2010
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley

In My Own Words
A weekend away from reality is a great thing, even if it is raining. I don’t mind it raining though. I can still relax rain, hail or shine if I am away from home, and it gives me a chance to check out a new cinema! So my fiancé and I ventured half an hour up the highway to check out “Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time” at the Roxy Cinemas at Nowra. Now I love going to new cinemas when I’m away. I know it isn’t the typical activity one would enjoy when they go on a holiday, but there are so many different types of cinema complexes out there. For example, the Roxy was a great little surprise for me. The outside looks like an old cinema, but the inside was lovely. It had the big red curtains and two Roman statues on each side and Roman hangings on the walls. I don’t think Nowra has got much to do with Roman times, but it was great that the cinema had so much character to it. I feel that my local cinema too has a lot of character, not in the same way that Nowra does, but you definitely feel the difference between this cinema and others. The multiplexes usually don’t have the same character to them, as they tend to reflect each other. Yet the independent cinemas are not independent’s for no reason. They vary from each other and its treat going and checking out how their decor and architecture. Next time you go to the cinema, take a look around and think about what makes the cinema you are in special.

Another thing I love is when a highly anticipated film also turns out to be a good film. It doesn’t happen quite as often as it should. In fact, I think the only film Movie Critical has reviewed thus far that was highly anticipated blockbuster and was actually a decent film was “Avatar”. Oh I lie, “Alice In Wonderland” as well. “Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time” thankfully turns that around. A blockbuster that has been advertised for months and a movie we come not to expect too much of because we know how it feels to look forward to a movie and be disappointed. It’s a great feeling to watch a film and it be better than what you thought it would be. I really was not bothered with the release of “Prince Of Persia” at all because I’m so used to being disappointed by blockbusters, but I was pleasantly surprised.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“Look what we can do everybody!”

That is what Disney might as well being saying with the first 15 minutes of “Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time”. Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer films have always been good at pulling everything they have together to make a movie and showing to the world what they have. However, Disney have also always been good at making a good film, and this is exactly what they have done. Although sometimes looking like a three way cross between “ Lord Of The Rings”, “Pirates Of The Caribbean” and “The Mummy”, this film has got everything to make it an enjoyable adventure flick. Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is taken into the royal palace when he is a young boy and raised as a prince. After ambushing the city of Alamut, he is wrongly accused of killing his father and flees with the beautiful princess of Alamut, Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton).It is then that he discovers the secrets of the mysterious dagger which Tamina carries, the dagger which has the ability to release the sands of time. A quest to clear his name turns out to be a quest to stop the dagger falling into the wrong hands for Dastan.

First and foremost, it is great to finally see an action/ adventure film with a solid plot, especially one which is based on a video game. Video games are a hard one to make a film out of because the game doesn’t give too much of a background story and just rely on action. So more often than not, this action aspect is the main feature of the big screen version and the story is weak. This isn’t the case with “Prince Of Persia”. Sure there is a great deal of action, but the story does not suffer as a result. The story is well scripted and well executed on the big screen. There are definitely clever twists and turns and there is suspense over the anticipation of what will happen at the end. The action scenes and stunts are spectacular, as are the visuals. The only criticism is that as spectacular as the cities in this film can look, at times they can also look very much like cardboard sets. Very nice cardboard sets at that though. This is not all the time, but at particular moments throughout the film. The CGI is also amazing in particular scenes, but in other scenes just looks very computerised.

Jake Gyllenhaal, is there anything this man cannot do? In his first real action role, he does extremely well. He definitely shows his versatility as an actor, as not many actors can pull off a dysfunctional teenager, a gay cowboy and a courageous action hero. Gemma Arterton is definitely better in this role than in her similar role in the also recently released, “Clash Of The Titans”. She plays with far more character, although at some times is guilty of over acting. The screen chemistry of her and Gyllenhaal is definitely there and there is plenty of emotion between the two. Ben Kingsley is great in his role and defiantly creates a relationship with the audience, be it good or bad.

“Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time” is an absolute treat. It is definitely the best adventure film we have seen so far this year and lives up to its expectations. Not only action and video game fans will enjoy this movie, as there is something for everyone. Great plot, characters, suspense and emotion. Well done Disney, you have done it again!
7.5/10