Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a movie filled with running, jumping, fighting [with fists, words, knives, snakes and darts – among other things]. Like Thief of Baghdad on acid, it is filled with visual wonders and feats of derring-do. It is, in fact, a swashbuckler that, CG aside, owes far more to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Errol Flynn than the videogame on which it is allegedly based. Spoiler: if you’re expecting War and Peace, stay home!
Prince Dastan [Jake Gyllenhaal] us the grown version of a street urchin who defended an equally young thief from the king’s soldiers – a feat that impressed the king so much that he adopted the urchin and treated him as he treated his two natural sons, Tus [Richard Coyle] and Garsiv [Tony Kebbell].
Now, the king’s brother and most trusted adviser, Nizam [Ben Kinglsey] claims to have found proof that the rulers of the Holy City of Alamut are making weapons and selling them to Persia’s enemy. He sends his army to discover the truth, but Garsiv persuades Tus to order a full-scale invasion – against Dastan’s counsel. In order to save lives, Dastan finds a way to get into the city and make it easy for the army to take over without [too] much bloodshed.
When King Sharaman arrives, he is given a captured prayer robe. Donning it kills him and Dastan is blamed. He escapes with Princess Tamina [Gemma Arterton] – who realizes that he has taken possession of a magic dagger that can release The Sands of Time and turn time back.
The rest is exploring unfounded suspicions and the usual range of motivations; dealing with antagonists of various stripes [from a sheik who has a tax-free ostrich racing concern in the desert, to Hassansins – hired killers who use drugs to see into the future], and action set pieces that pretty much rock – even before the effects crew embellish them.
Prince of Persia is all about the fun. Certain plot points might echo recent events, but they are an excuse for all the running, jumping, fighting and so forth – nothing more. Gyllenhaal and Arterton have some chemistry and their bickering and initial distrust have enough edge to let us buy the whole opposites attract thing.
Kingsley is suitably ambiguous and both Coyle and Kebbell are persuasive as Dastan’s more obedient brothers. The film gets some fine work from Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar, the ostrich racing tax evader and Steve Toussaint as the knife wielding Seso, who owes his life to Amar.
Despite the dagger’s time-reversing capability, there’s a caveat that even manages to provide a real sense of danger.
The script, by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard, echoes swashbucklers of the past – entertainment for entertainment’s sake. Mike Newell, whose Goblet of Fire was one of the better Harry Potter films, provides a frantic pace, some extremely fine panoramas and an earthy, sepia vibe that makes Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time fun, if not epically memorable. That, at least, differentiates it from the best work of Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
In short, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a solid example of summer film fare – fun in the moment, but it won’t stay with you once you leave the theater.
Final Grade: B