Simple and enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2010)

This film is fun and enjoyable. Perfect for a little mindless escapism.
Lots of action, a little magic and some ostrichs. What more could you want? In some ways, this film reminds me of the early Indiana Jones films.
Jake Gyllenhaal is beautiful to watch, and has the right mixture of comedy, action and emotions.
Gemma Arterton is also stunning and brilliantly cast as a smart and brave, but slightly-spoilt princess. It's always great to see a heroine who's proactive. The chemistry between the two leads is excellent and the banter is pretty funny.
Michael Sheen is also fantastic as Gyllenhaal's brother who doesn't always make the best decisions. The bond between family is a key theme to this film.
The plot is easy to follow, but there are enough twists to keep it interesting. Sure, some of it's predictable (e.g. who the bad guy really is), but the quality of the execution pulls it through.
It was good to see the realistic response (uncertainty) from Arterton's character at the end (even if this was done to allow a sequel).