A cinematic rule of thumb: video game movies suck. You know you’re in trouble when Mortal Kombat is essentially the Citizen Kane of video game adaptations. It is with great trepidation that I approached the Prince of Persia, based off the video game series created by Jordan Mechner. It is also one of two Jerry Bruckheimer produced spectacles this summer along with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Prince of Persia is set in a fantasy version of Persia where no one is actually Persian and everyone speaks with a British accent.
The film opens with an Aladdin-esque prologue featuring a young boy named Dastan defending another child in the open marketplace. Impressed by his courage, King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) adopts him. The now adult Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is leads an army to attack the city of Alamut. The King’s brother, Nizam (Ben Kingsley), has evidence that Alamut is building weapons for Persia’s enemies. However, Nizam is secretly after a mystical dagger which can turn back time for just a few seconds. Beneath the city lies an hourglass full of the Sands of Time, plunging the dagger into it will allow Nizam to rewrite history as he sees fit. Framed for the murder of his father, Dastan and the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) must uncover Nizam’s plot while being hunted by his own brothers and a cadre of assassins.
As you’d expect from a Bruckheimer production, Prince of Persia is packed with overblown action sequences and expensive special effects. The climax feels like a genuine sandstorm that threatens to blind your eyes and engulf your body in a torrent of CGI. The movie is surprisingly light on Parkour stunts considering acrobatics were a big part of the games. Most of the acting is bland with the leads engaging in forced dialogue that passes for witty banter. Only Alfred Molina gives a sly and amusing performance as the earliest member of the Tea Party. He’s a promoter of ostrich races who bemoans the plight of the small businessman and adamantly refuses to pay taxes.
Prince of Persia is lightweight and forgettable popcorn entertainment. It fails to be a 21st century version of Indiana Jones, coming off more as a knockoff of Stephen Sommers’ Mummy pictures. As a video game movie, it’s still better than Super Mario Bros. and, at least, it wasn’t directed by Uwe Boll.
Rating: **
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