Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Score: 7 / 10
Reviewed by pjowens75
As the lights dimmed for the previews, I leaned over to my imaginary date and said “This movie is based on a video game, you know.” (she’s a gamer and I wanted to impress her)
She giggled and said “Oh yeah? Which one?”
“Prince of Persia.” (duh!)
“Oh yeah! I know that one!” (SCORE!) “My little brother plays it.” (FAIL!)
And I really didn’t know what to expect, but from what I’ve seen of other video game-based movies, my hopes weren’t high. Well, color me pleasantly surprised. Within the first 5 minutes, we have the plot laid out for us, thanks to a quick voice-over and a flashback showing how a young Dastan is adopted by the King of Persia. It is during this that my date first tugs on my arm.
“Oooh,” she squeals, “Ben Kingsley…bad guy.”
“How can you tell?” I whisper.
“Easy,” she says, “he’s always either Gandhi or the bad guy.” (makes sense to me)
Flash forward to the present (well, the present of Persia in the film) and Dastan (now played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is framed for the murder of his father, the King, and must find a way to clear his name and, oh by the way, save the world. That last part complicates things a little, but involves a knife that can reverse time, and a beautiful princess (Gemma Arterton) whose sole purpose in life is to protect the knife. There’s all sorts of other stuff thrown in, but that’s all you really need to know for now.
There are lots of action scenes…I mean LOTS of action scenes involving Dastan & the princess escaping from impossible numbers and improbable situations. As my imaginary date put it:
“I love the way he does all that running and jumping and still keeps his hair out of his face.”
“Shhh,” I whisper. “It’s the 21st century. That’s the sign of a good actor.”
And as for the acting, this is not the vehicle on which to waste your best Oscar-worthy performance, and most of the actors seem to know this. Gyllenhaal, who is capable of much deeper stuff, looks to be having the time of his life…as if he’s in on a joke that we’re not. Arterton, bless her heart, doesn’t seem to realize that she’s not there for critical praise, and as a result, doesn’t seem to be having quite the fun as everyone else. And Kingsley? Well, he’s definitely not Gandhi in this one, although he often looks like he wishes he were. But on the other side of the coin, no one can do “villain” with as much glee as Kingsley, even when he’s only half trying. Even Alfred Molina seems to be taking a vacation from serious acting to just have a good time.
And the fun that everyone is having on screen is contagious. Throw in some nasty game-type assassins, a major effects-filled third act, and several false endings, and, logic be damned, a good time was had by all.
Director Mike Newell and Disney can be proud. They’ve created a good, but not great, summer blockbuster. What’s more, they just might have stumbled upon (dare I say it?) the franchise that Disney needs to replace the tired Pirates of the Caribbean.
I decide not to tell my imaginary date this; afraid the little gears in her head will freeze up if she thinks too hard.
But as we left the theater (and I’m thinking that’s the last time I use ehominy.com to find a date), she pretty much sums up the whole movie.
“That was fun. But ya know what would make it REALLY fun? When we watch it again on DVD, we gotta get some killer weed.”
Makes sense to me.
