Souped Up Sabu

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2010)

There was a time back in the day when Hollywood turned out dozens of films like Prince Of Persia. Universal Studios was the chief maker of these ancient Middle East fantasies. Maria Montez had a set built for her films and when she died it was used lots of times by stars like Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis in their early days. And of course the boy from India, Sabu kept his career going on films like Prince Of Persia.
Now if you're expecting to see something remotely realistic about the Persian Empire which Alexander the Great put out of business, don't look at this film. Based on a video game, Prince Of Persia has about as much realism as an old Sabu movie. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays the adopted son of the King Of Persia Ronald Pickup who as a lad is taken into the royal family and becomes like another brother to his two natural sons. There is a brother of Pickup played by Ben Kingsley who is a chief adviser to the throne. All seems like a happy family.
But Kingsley's got Richard III like ambitions and Shakespeare immortal crook backed child murderer has got nothing on Kingsley. He gets the sons to invade a Holy and peaceful city run by Princess Gemma Arterton on the pretext this crowd is plotting with folks who want to overthrow the Empire. However Kingsley wants to get at an artifact which in his hands can make him the master of time.
I think with all the computer graphic generated effects which are considerable and nice, still don't make this that much more than one of those Arabian Nights fantasies that Universal used to specialize in. Sabu, Rock Hudson, and Tony Curtis, and Maria Montez were never in a film with a budget like Prince Of Persia.
So with a plot based partially on Richard III and a bit taken from the Biblical account of the flood, Prince Of Persia will give you a couple of hours of good old fashioned film entertainment.