Prince of Persia: The sands of Time

Film: Prince of Persia: The sands of Time
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Genre: Adventure
Direction: Mike Newell
Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes
Critic's Rating: 3.5 stars


Story: Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a ragamuffin picked up from the streets by the Persian King Sharaman for his bravery and daring. He grows up as his son, along with his two foster brothers, Seso and Garsiv and life is a veritable bed of roses until he is sent by his Uncle (Ben Kingley) to plunder the beautiful city of Alamat, ruled by the feisty Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). This is the beginning of a nefarious plot of treachery and intrigue where the conflict centres around a mystical dagger that has the power of unleashing time travel and world destruction. Who is desperate for the dagger? And who can save the world?

Movie Review: Here comes another end-of-the-world adventure, wrapped up in quintessential Hollywood style, which essentially translates into a larger-than-life desert safari where swords clash, sandstorms rise, intrigue simmers, magic brews and passion soars....Yup! Prince of Persia is a great getaway from the summer ennui and offers you a popcorn crunching two hours of fun and games.

And why not? For, the film is actually based on a video game that hit the market in 2003 and asks you not to tax your brains at all. All it demands is to sit back and serenade the over-the-top adventure which unfolds in ancient Persia where palace intrigue, shaman mystique and royal romance seemed to be the only thing that mattered. Add to this, a band of gypsy-like mercenaries, led by Alfred Molina and you have all the masala to keep the mercury rising this summer.
The high point of the film is its stellar ensemble cast headed by Ben Kingsley who lends gravitas to the entire proceedings as Nizam, the King's brother who may have lived all his life in the shadows but remains a dominant figure, nonetheless. Jake Gyllenhaal's Prince of Persia is quite an unusual act too, for the actor has never been as playful and acrobatic before. As for Gemma Arterton's Tamina? Now she's a delicious tease, an oriental bombshell who truly oversteps her Bond girl brief and grows from mere eye candy to a woman of substance. Tamina is the keeper of the magical dagger and is determined to stay in-step with the warrior prince, fighting to save the world as an equal partner, albeit with a yummy pout....Of course, you cannot ignore Alfred Molina as the scruffy Arab ostrich runner with the ragtag band of fighters and marksmen.

The review wouldn't be complete without a special mention for the arresting canvas of the film, created by some stupendous camera work by John Seale and the Armageddon's-here special effects by Trevor Woods. Total mazaa!