It's not Citizen Kane, but it's sure a good time at the movies

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2010)

To those who complained that PoP wasn't very good, I have to ask -- what movie did you see, and what were you expecting? It's a Bruckheimer production, so one could reasonably expect lots of action, a true blue hero or two, some twists and turns that you may or may not see coming, and in general a rollicking good time. You are NOT going to get Shakespeare! The previews, which were all I had to go on as I know nothing about the video game, promised PoP be a fun two hours of escapism. It promised, and as far as this reviewer is concerned, it delivered admirably on that promise. (Please note -- there may be spoilers from this point on) It gave me a stalwart hero and a lovely heroine, played believably and with good chemistry by Mr. Gyllenhaal and Ms. Arterton. Jake was very impressive with all the physicality of the role (yes, I know wires were involved, but ask any stunt person how tough those can be to work with), and shows his usual excellent range of emotion, going from grinning wisecracks to tongue-tied stammering to broken hearted bereavement without batting an eye. Comic relief came from the ever wonderful Alfred Molina (watch out for those ostriches ...) Sir Ben Kingsley was an excellent choice for the prince who may not be what he seems, and a delightful surprise for me was finding Richard Coyle (Jeff from Coupling, John Ridd from Lorna Doone) in the role of the crown prince, who also may not be quite what he seems. The plot moves along at a decent pace, and my only quibble is that we've seen it before in various forms. This is the only reason I knock off a point. I had a good time, I'd gladly see it again and will be recommending it to my friends -- I can't say that about too many of the 'better' films I've seen lately. Bottom line, it ain't art, but it's fun. Get your popcorn and go have some!