By Ned Jordan
Movies based on videogames have as bad a track record as, well, videogames
based on movies. Probably even worse. Now we have the Prince of
Persia series getting the movie treatment, but this time Uwe Boll is nowhere to
be found. Helming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is Jerry
Bruckheimer, and he has the kind of cast backing him that Mr. Boll could only
dream about. The titular Prince is played by Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ben
Kingsley and Alfred Molina play major supporting roles. So is this finally
the film gamers have been waiting for? Not quite, but it's not a total
loss if you're looking for some mindless afternoon matinee adventure
entertainment.
In Prince of Persia, a young street urchin impresses the good king of Persia
with his bravery to the point where the king adopts him as his own. Flash
forward ten or so years, and that street urchin is now as much a prince of
Persia as his two adopted brothers. His undying loyalty and love for the
king make him the perfect fall guy for an assassination plot against the king,
and the prince is soon on the run with a captive princess (Gemma Arterton) in
tow. He has to clear his good name and find the king's true assassin, and
the magical dagger carried by the princess that can rewind short stretches of
time may just be the thing he needs to help him do that.
Gamers will already be familiar with the time-rewinding powers and the
prince's superhuman parkour prowess, and these abilities both play a role in the
film and are recreated with excellent special effects artistry. However,
when you look at some of the basics of filmmaking such as story and editing
you'll find them somewhat lacking in this movie. The slipshod editing
makes the film feel choppy and leaves you wondering if key plot points ended up
on the cutting room floor. My advice to you would be to let your brain
relax and just take it for what it is, light escapist fare. Enjoy the
visuals and action sequences without worrying too much about the plot and you'll
have fun while it lasts. Just like with, well, a videogame.
Disney is proving to be pretty reliable when it comes to the quality of its
Blu-ray releases and Prince of Persia continues that trend. The picture is
sharp and the colors brilliant, even when a lot of those colors are various
shades of mustard and brown. Sound is also excellent, with the balance
between spoke dialog and the cacophony of battle mixed well enough that you can
watch the entire film without a finger on the remote's volume control. The
Combo Pack includes the movie on Blu-ray and DVD as well as a digital copy for
download to a PC, although I wouldn't toss the DVD in the back of a mini van
with the other kids' movies as it is on the violent side, albeit in a cartoony
sort of way. A number of special features on the disc will show you
everything that you'd want to know about the locations, scenes, and special
effects in the film.
Final Rating:
