A Fun Summer Blockbuster

Rating: 6/10 (24 May 2010)

Video-game adaptations have never been that good. The Tomb Raider series came close, but apart from that, the track record has been pretty messy. Anyone remember Super Mario Bros.? So Prince of Persia deserves credit for being the best video-game adaptation to date; a light action adventure with just enough old-school charm, star chemistry and visual razzle-dazzle to deserve its marketing as a summer blockbuster.
Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) was an orphan plucked off the streets and adopted by the King of Persia (Ronald Pickup). Determined to prove his worth to his father, his uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) and his two brothers, Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) and Tus (Richard Coyle), Dastan plays a pivotal role in the successful siege of the city of Alumet. The celebrations are brought to an end by the murder of the King, of which Dastan is wrongfully accused. Going on the run with the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), Dastan realises that he holds a dagger which Tamina is meant to protect, and which is the key to the most powerful weapon in the world; the Sands of Time. If the Sands of Time are unleashed, it will mean the end of the world. Dastan and Tamina must stay one step ahead of the bad guys who are after the dagger, all the while trying to find out who set up Dastan.
Prince of Persia has the same problem as this month's Robin Hood; its storytelling is bloated where it should have been fast and efficient. However, unlike Robin Hood, Prince of Persia tends to be borderline insulting in the way the audience is treated like unintelligent morons. OK, granted this film is first and foremost aimed at a younger audience (as well as fans of the game), but I would have preferred it if the writing was a bit more subtle, and not akin to being walloped with a sledgehammer. At one point, Dastan says, "releasing the sands turns back time. And only the holder of the dagger is aware of what's happened." This would have useful, if it hadn't been portrayed through some brilliant visual effects which showed exactly how the dagger worked one minute beforehand. The fact that he is saying this to Tamina, a woman who has been guarding the dagger for her whole life and who knows the powers of the Sands, only makes this dialogue seem more like poorly handled exposition and less like organic conversation. This happens regularly throughout the film, and is likely to annoy several viewers. It did me. The screenplay is easily the film's biggest flaw, not only poorly written but often rushed in the relationships between the characters. Dastan and Tamina's relationship isn't developed as much as I would have liked it to be, and other characters often seem undeveloped. We get the bare details of why they do what they do, but apart from Dastan and Tamina, no one is satisfyingly fleshed out.
That being said, Prince of Persia is still an entertaining film. Why? Partially because it has that matinée Saturday film feeling. This has a charm to it which reminded me of the Indiana Jones series. It also has a sense of fun. The action is satisfying, if not as gritty as the scraps in Robin Hood or as impressive as the show-downs in Iron Man 2. The sword fights, in particular, have a real sense of immediacy, which is (for once) aided by the use of the shaky camera technique. You feel disoriented in a good way; you can still see what is going on in the fight, and you feel like you are involved.
Technically, this film is stunning. The locations ooze a perfect exotic sensuality. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is rich and engaging, whilst the sets are beautifully designed. Costumes are also good, although there is nothing particularly inventive. The visual effects are breath-taking, with the finale, where Dastan and Tamina race to find the Sands of Time, being the most electrifying visual effects orientated set piece so far this year.
The acting is what keeps the film together. As Dastan and Tamina, Gyllenhaal and Arterton are brilliant. Gyllenhaal brings a puppyish enthusiasm to Dastan which makes him instantly likable, whilst wonderfully hinting at his character's maturation throughout the film. Meanwhile, Arterton brings an authoritative grace to the role of Tamina. She isn't an all-out warrior, but she ain't no damsel in distress either. Both of them share a chemistry which goes beyond the call of duty (and the low ambition of the script), and which makes them a couple who we root for. Ben Kingsley is nicely malicious as Nizam. Kingsley clearly relishes the role, and he sinks his teeth into it. Both Kebbell and Coyle develop their characters into strong yet human individuals with limited screen time, whilst Alfred Molina provides solid comic relief as a sheik with questionable morals.
Prince of Persia is flawed; there is no question about that. It is overly convoluted, the script has some clunkers which are actually painful to hear and there is very little in the way of intelligence. But you genuinely care about the main characters, and you want to see what happens to them. The action is well-done, the production values are top-notch and Mike Newell's direction keeps the film moving along nicely. Overall, Prince of Persia is a fun summer blockbuster, one which is likely to be a big success at the box office. Hopefully, any mistakes here can be rectified if there is a sequel. So how does it do against the other two summer blockbusters so far? It's not as witty or as exciting as Iron Man 2 (although it does avoid the dip in quality that Iron Man 2 suffered from in the middle act), nor does it have the gritty intelligence of Robin Hood. But it is still a decent, if not overwhelming piece of summer entertainment.