Prince Of Persia - The Sands of Timepass

Rating: 5/10 (22 July 2010)

There is a very specific reason why Lion King remains the worlds most heartily lapped up animation film to date, in spite of a handful of arguably better made films like Finding Nemo and Wall-E taking this format of storytelling to a newer high and many others showing off far superior animation and yet falling flat on their face. Clearly, too much use of a particular technique kills the whole charm that surrounds it.
Thus, Lion King remains the absolute masterpiece in animation because it introduced us to a latest, very affable charm; that of seeing a single tear appearing from the cornea of a baby tiger and making its way through his lush gold face. It was mind numbingly surprising how much heart it all possessed; in spite of its unreal nature. The followers of the lion saga, the ones that didn't work, overused the technology to the extent which made the technique lose its marvel.
And so, why I smash this undeniably long prologue in your faces before actually coming to the point is because Mike Newell's latest suffers from this very mishap.
Prince of Persia – The Sands of Timepass is so stuffed with computer- assisted effects that it makes the experience of watching a wide-angle shot, that of a huge castle amidst a densely populated civilization, entirely underwhelming. It is all unreal, we know that. But did it really have to be this artificial?
Visibly, he is so fascinated by the use of CGI and computerized gimmickry that the use, itself, is not fascinating at all. 'Special Effects' are no longer special since this film makes you wonder if you would have had more fun sitting at home and X-boxing the very game which forms the crux of this film. The crux, which starts off with the Persian army invading another region with the pretence that it contains weapons of mass destruction, a very American plot line to begin the film with, and a probable reference to the Iraq invasion.
This is not bad, bland or boring a film, by most standards. It is decidedly quick in its pace and bores rather rarely. Starting off very well, it boasts off a promising premise to begin with and later, turns into an unremarkable fantasy-action flick wherein even the fist fights are computerized. The action is well-choreographed at places but there is absolutely no heart to the proceedings.
Sure, it's a summer blockbuster that is meant to entertain only. And it does that, albeit intermittently. But some genuine smartness wouldn't have hurt, right?
The leads however do their jobs well. Jake Gyllenhaal, taking this role more seriously than he should have, does rather well. The Brokeback guy is an excellent actor and this film sees him having a ball as he swiftly jumps around like a monkey performing ballet. The Lady, Gema Arterton, looks edible but her performance is as erratic as the film's sloppy editing. Funnily, you wonder if the wonderment surrounding her display of anatomy is a result of her natural beauty or a product of the films hackneyed CGI.
So while the climatic twist musters up the courage to actually make the audiences take notice and become a participant in the narrative, it's rather late and you are accustomed to 'watching' a game by then. Not a film.
And, although, it is rather enjoyable to sit on a couch and watch the buddies battle out a fun match on a Play Station. But wouldn't you rather play the game?
**1/2