PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Grade: B
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Richard Coyle, Toby Kebbell, and Ronald Pickup
PREMISE: When the youngest son of the Persian Emperor is framed for the king's sudden murder, he goes on the run hoping to find a way to prove his innocence, all the while in possession of an ancient artifact with the power to destroy the world.

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some disturbing images

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, is quite the spectacle. Swords clash, arrows fly, horses gallop, fires blaze, men of royalty strut, ostraches race, women's eyes gleam, and the fate of all mankind hangs in the balance. Based on a popular video game series that originated in 2003, Prince delivers all the goods of a video-game-turned-movie in an engaging manner, charging through murders, mythology, and surprise twists while maintaining its sense of fun. While it delivers all those things we expect from our action adventure films-swashbuckling heroes, dastardly villains, romantic intrigue, and action upon action upon action-it does it with a greater sense of purpose, more conviction that something like the recent, phoned-in Three Musketeers.

Plot: Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) isn't a prince by birth, so he will never get a real share of the throne of his adopted father, the Persian Emperor (Ronald Pickup). An orphan who impressed the old man with his guile and street smarts one day in the market, Dastan is on a longer leash than his actual prince brothers, Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell), and wins the family's approval by leading a successful campaign to conquer the sacred city of Alamut. When Dastan presents his father with a pair of decorative robes found during the siege-given to him by the heir apparent, Tus-and the robes spontaneously burn and kill the king, he's forced to run for his life. He's aided in his escape by Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) of Alamut, who knows a little something about a bejeweled knife Dastan recoverd during the siege. The hilt of the knife is a curious glass case containing swirling sand, and, when the ruby on the end of the hilt is pressed, the holder can turn back time--even able to return a dead person to life. Dastan wants to use it to revive the king, but the princess would rather return it to its rightful place in a temple, not only because Dastan's uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) seems to have his eye on it, but because the dagger is the key to an ancient power, given by the gods, that, when unlocked, can destroy the world.

What Works?
As is often the case with this sort of movie, the plot is complex, and sometimes difficult to understand, but Prince of Persia wastes little time with boring exposition. The action comes fast and frequent, with clever tactics and even cleverer stunts, and the humor-particularly in cocky banter between Dastan and Tamina-aids the film enormously in its non-violent stretches. The actors are all solid, with the engaging Gyllenhaal embracing the liveliness of the daredevil Dastan, Arterton nailing the banter but taking seriously the deep faith of the princess, Kingsley blustering as old baddies do, and Alfred Molina stealing a number of scenes as a peppy ostrich-racing merchant Dastan encounters on his travels. The special effects are suitable, and, while many of the film's final plot twists are predictable, you actually care enough about the characters to take them seriously. Compared to an empty-headed by-the-numbers project like The Three Musketeers, this movie is a gem of pacing and intrigue.

What Doesn't Work?
Okay, so, like I said, the plot can be confusing. Basically, there's a dagger, there are the gods, something about the dagger and the sand that can destroy the world--sometimes you just sort of revert to sitting and smiling and not asking questions, waiting for it to all unfold. Also, in a movie like this, the names are nigh impossible to pick up, and the will-they-or-won't-they romantic subplot sputters when overused. The key, as ever, with something like Prince of Persia is to not take it too seriously, and, when you don't, you're engaged by the spectacle onscreen.

Content:
Like Musketeers, Prince of Persia, being a Disney adventure film, is pretty clean. There's nary a cuss word, and, despite some revealing outfits (worn by women AND men), no real nudity or edgy sensual content. There are large-scale action sequences, sometimes containing sinister baddies with nasty weapons, and sometimes good guys bite the dust, but very little blood is spilt. But there are some creepy crawly snakes, and a few effects that could frighten younger viewers.

Bottom Line (I Promise):
Led by a likeable star trying something new, and moving along quickly with a high entertainment value, Prince of Persia has exactly the impact it was trying to, and that's a flat-out reward for a summer action flick like this.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Based on the Video Game Series created by Jordan Mechner
Directed by Mike Newell
Written for the screen by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard
Rated PG-13
Length: 116 minutes