Prince of Persia: The Sands of Timeby Wolfen MoondaughterReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 8 When the three princes of Persia, Tus (Richard Coyle), Garsiv (Toby Kebbell), and their adopted brother Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), get wind of a rumour that the holy city of Alamut is selling weapons to their enemies, the princes, urged by their uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley), capture the city — and its princess, Tamina (Gemma Arterton). When treachery leads to the death of their father, Dastan is blamed, and ends up on the run with Tamina — and a special dagger that can turn back time. Realising that the rumour was a really a ruse meant to create an opportunity for someone to get the dagger, Dastan must find the real killer, prove his innocence, and help the less-than-cooperative princess keep the dagger from falling into the wrong hands.I've never played the games the film is an adaptation of, so I have no idea if it would satisfy longtime fans of the franchise. First, the bad. There's a little more action and a little less character development — or magic, or booby traps / tests — than I would have liked. Some plot points seem a bit contrived for the sake of convenience, mostly in the sense that some concepts are introduced rather late in the game, feeling thrown in just to add an obstacle. Like, "Oh, by the way, there's a super-sekrit-sect of assassins, as if the soldiers on your tail weren't enough! Oh, and besides being able to turn back time, the bad guy might instead destroy the world. Maybe. Oh, and maybe somebody will have to kill themselves to destroy the dagger! Or, um, maybe we'll just skip that after bringing it up." Also, either the editing is a bit choppy or I wasn't engaged enough by some scenes and was spacing out, as there were a few points where I felt like I'd missed something. Otherwise, on the whole? I like this film! It's fun, with some great twists, and lovely costumes, sets, and visuals. The characters are presented strongly and concisely, so while I would have appreciated more information on their histories and more interactions between them, their motivations and actions make sense (sooner or later). If the good guys seem more bloodthirsty than is acceptable by our standards, it also makes them more human and interesting (and, let's face it, products of their time). Gyllenhaal's Dastan is a good "diamond in the rough" sort of character: he's roguish, handsome, charming, and a bit of a prat, but he also shows kindness, loyalty (when it seems deserved), and a willingness to learn from history. He also has some really kick-arse acrobatic moves (for which I have to commend Gyllenhaal: if I understand correctly, he did most of his own stunts). The lovely Tamina, meanwhile, is no shrinking violet or prissy thing; she's bold, brave, clever (to the point of being conniving), and dedicated to her path. From the trailers, I didn't think I would like her, but I do. Still, while I think Dastan and Tamina are cute in a Tracy / Hepburn sort of way, what I especially love are the scenes between Dastan and his brothers. (Of course, I'm biased, as I was already a big fan of Coyle, thanks to the Britcom Coupling). Conniving, greedy merchant Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina) and his right-hand man, the knife-tossing tribesman Seso, are also oddly endearing. There's a sub-group of villains that aren't terribly dimensional or, frankly, very interesting, but the true villain makes up for that pretty well, particularly towards the end. I think some might be annoyed by the ending, but as I look to fiction to make me feel better, not depressed, ultimately I was quite satisfied. Written: May 31, 2010
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