Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [DVD]

I was impressed with this movie. There seem to be a lot of people who don't like it and I've heard a lot of bad stuff myself from friends etc . . . However, I have to disagree. This movie isn't the disaster many people make it out to be. I think the problem stems from people expecting it to be like Pirates of the Caribbean, but in the desert. Same studio and the way the movie looks can certainly put this misconception across.

All in all, the story is enjoyable. It has its moments where you wish the dagger would stop getting lost or stolen but that's just the way they've done it. It's supposed to be a fun kid's adventure and that is what it is. The effects are nice and not overdone and I loved the sets and costumes. Acting is good - not meant to be Oscar winning stuff - in a fun, light-hearted kind of way. Jake Gyllenhaal is a convincing lead and pulled off a role I was expecting him to fail miserably in.

The kids will love this movie. You'll probably love this movie. Don't be put off by a few bad reviews.

What is wrong with people giving this movie a low score? If you like a great fantasy story, great action and adventure and great effects- you cannot go wrong with this movie- it will transport you to the mystical magical land of Persia in the 4th century- the sets and effects are first rate and don't let up for a minute. Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton are great leads- Gyllenhaal plays the adopted Prince of Persia who is accused of murdering the King and has to flee his people and attempt to prove his innocence-there's a magical dagger-an amazing ostrich race-killer snakes-palatial cities in the desert- Ben Kingsley is dastardly with a capital D as the baddie -Alfred Molina (Doc Ock) is a fun sidekick. This is Pirates of the Carrabean set in the Persian desert and will give you a really fun two hour ride.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of time is loosely based around the video game series of the same name, using characters and locales from the games and bringing them to the big screen. Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead) plays Dastan, a vagabond prince who was plucked from the streets by the King for his spirit and athleticism and adopted into the royal family. 15 years later Dastan fights in the Persian army alongside his adopted brothers Garsiv (Toby Kebbell - Rocknrolla) and Tus (Richard Coyle - Jeff from Coupling). After receiving word that the ancient city of Alamut is supplying weapons to Persia's enemies, they besiege & conquer the city, where they find the lovely Princess Tamina (Gemma Aterton - Quantum of Solace) who guards a weapon that grants the bearer time-shifting abilities. All is not as it seems as Dastan soon realises that someone within his trust has ulterior motives for invading Alamut and wants the dagger for themselves...

The film is beautifully shot and features some breathtaking locales, credit to Mike Newell here. There are multiple nods to the acrobatics of the game, even panning around Gyllenhaal before jumps in the third person aspect made so familiar by the games. Ben Kingsley plays Dastan's uncle and is a real asset to the production with his ambiguous mannerisms, whilst Alfred Molina (Dr Octopus - Spider-Man 2) plays a brilliant, tax-dodging & eccentric bazaar-owner who injects some much-needed humour into the proceedings and carries every scene he is in.

The plot is rather linear and predictable but the acting is solid and keeps you enthralled, if you were expecting lots of time-jumping and rewinding like the games then you will be sorely disappointed as Dastan uses the vast majority of the sands of time figuring out how to use the sands of time, which is a bit of a waste of cinematic potential if you ask me but that's the direction they went with. I couldn't figure out why both of the leads have Kensington-English accents, despite Gyllenhall being American and both of them playing middle-eastern royalty; nonetheless Gyllenhaal's English accent is convincing enough.

In conclusion, this is a must-see for fans of the game, but the whole film feels a bit ham-fisted as it jumps seemingly randomly between threads of the story and the dialogue just feels a bit contrived. The ending is contradictory to earlier information given in the film and doesn't make an awful lot of sense. Nonetheless, I would recommend this for a decent watch but don't question the plot too much as you are likely to get annoyed at the paradoxes!!

This version has both the Blu-Ray version of the film and the DVD version.