A rollicking good ride.

Rating: 7/10 (28 May 2010)

The Sands of Time? A mythical dagger that can turn back time? A sandstorm created by the Gods that will destroy humanity? All sounds a bit rubbish, doesn't it? Well it is. And isn't. For all the silliness of the story and convenience of the plot, Persia is remarkably fun, thanks to the unhinged action set pieces which rotate through at a terrific pace. Have the characters been talking nonsense for over a minute? Never fear, in about 15 seconds Dastan will be doing something cool. Like free running on the Persian rooftops or climbing a wall using freshly shot arrows. Or maybe even battling with a whip-wielding assassin or his sword swinging brother.
Costing somewhere in the vicinity of $150m, it's not hard to see where most of that cash went. The CGI is tremendous – the only noteworthy flaw being in the penultimate sequence which can't completely handle its larger scale – and undoubtedly enhances the ambitious action scenes. The moments of slow-mo increase excitement but thankfully aren't overused whilst the fighting and running choreography is suitably uncontrolled and free ranging, you'll never guess how Dastan gets his way out of some situations. It's a credit to the director and crew that they've produced such adrenaline-pumping action that the ridiculous script is hardly noticed.
Not an actor you would instantly think of for a role like this, Gyllenhaal makes a wonderful Dastan – following the recent trend of studios choosing known actors (Depp, Bettany, Downey Jr, et al) for their blockbusters rather than typical action stars – with his wry humour an integral part of the casting success. The road to stardom continues for young Brit actress Arterton (Clash of the Titans and Quantum of Solace) with another decent performance under her belt, her incessant vocal jousting with Gyllenhaal shows major confidence. Kingsley chalks up an additional wooden, one-dimensional portrayal for the sake of a paycheque and the other experienced cast member Molina isn't as humorous as intended as the morally dubious sidekick.
In true form for a Bruckheimer movie, Sands of Time has little substance but makes up for it with more bang for your buck. A rollicking good ride.
3.5 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)