Uwe Boll would be proud.

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2010)

In ancient Persia a young orphan boy named Dastan is rewarded for a courageous act and finds himself invited into the King's family. The adult Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) has grown up to be a nimble footed and somewhat reckless warrior. During an attack on a city that is believed to be selling weapons to the enemies of the King, Dastan proves his courage once more and seems to be destined to inherit the throne. As an initial reward he is given a dagger from the captured princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). When it is revealed that the invaded city did not hold any real weapons, questions of leadership are raised, particularly by the Kings brother Nizam (Ben Kingsley). Simultaneously, the King is mortally wounded by a gift that Dastan presents. Realising the danger to himself and Tamina, they escape together, both hoping to claim the dagger. They must discover who was really responsible for the death of the King and come to terms with the daggers time travelling powers as well.
Hollywood has continually failed to discover a winning formula for translating video games into screen adaptations. Almost all of the conversions have begged to ask how much fun can you have watching someone else play the game. Prince of Persia is based on the 1989 video game of the same name, a title so popular that it has generated numerous modern spin-offs and remakes over the years. The film, directed by Mike Newell, is not an outstanding piece of cinema but what elevates itself above the majority of video game film adaptations is its ability to balance the essence of the games, with a highly formulaic but relatively enjoyable narrative. The invasion of a city for holding weapons that do not actually exist might remind one of recent global events but more pleasing for fans will be the nods to various elements of the games themselves. This can largely be attributed to not only the three screenwriters but also the involvement of Jordan Mechner, the creator of the original "Prince of Persia" game. He wrote the film's story and was also one of the producers on the film as well. As such the action here might be surprisingly exciting, but it is the sight of Dastan leaping elegantly over rooftops and squabbling with Tamina which will indeed bring back fond memories of some of the games. Even minor touches like the way the camera cuts to reveal the gate that Dastan needs to open, echoes similar cinematic techniques that have been used in some of the modern versions of the game. There really is a nice sense of nostalgia to be found here.
Those that are not fans of the game will still be able to appreciate some of the more glossy elements too. Few game adaptations have received a budget like Prince of Persia, which apparently edged close to two hundred million dollars. It is because of this that the film is sparked by impressive production values, including exciting visual effects, exotic locations with the majority of the film being shot in Morroco and elaborate costumes as well. For all of these qualities however, the film never knows when to quit and at two hours it still feels far too long, climaxing at least once too often. There are also uneven performances and a script that for many might tick too many predictable boxes, with obvious romances and betrayals abound. Leading up to the film's release has been the discussion about the choice of an American actor to play a Persian but Gyllenhaal is undoubtedly a talented actor of his generation and he pulls off the action scenes surprisingly well, thankfully never embarrassed by long slow-motion shots. He brings a relative amount of charisma and charm to this role, even if the dialogue is not exactly sparkling. His accent is completely wayward though, sounding almost English at times. The characterisation of Tamina is fairly one-note, that is to make her stubborn and feisty but she is still stunningly beautiful and where most female roles in action films are treated like wallpaper, she is thankfully active in many of the action scenes as well. Alfred Molina has a small but funny role as an Arab who complains about taxes but Ben Kingsley is largely wasted as the uncle with his own motives. He does not have a great deal of time in the film to be truly menacing.
Prince of Persia is one of the better video game to movie adaptations because it caters for both types of audiences. Those that are not interested in the game can still appreciate the production values of a highly formulaic but fun adventure, while those who are more devoted fans will relish the traits of the game that have been placed into numerous scenes throughout the film. The familiarity of the script here might make this a better rental than anything else but at least this is a significant improvement of some of the more recent disastrous adaptations. Uwe Boll would be proud.