Entertaining even if a little clichéd.

Rating: 7/10 (1 September 2010)

In the past we've seen far too many video games made into films, a majority of which are not very good, though this does come down to individual opinion. I for one thought that Tomb Raider and its sequel were quite good and was not impressed with either Silent Hill or Street Fighter.
Prince of Persia is based loosely on the Playstation 2 game of the same name. The game was excellent with very good game play, fantastic graphics and a good story. The film follows the basics of the game but ends up being entirely different.
As you may have already guessed from the trailer, or even the poster, this is an action film with mouth-watering special effects and lots of fight sequences. Then again, what else can we expect from Jerry Bruckheimer, the man behind Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, Con Air and Armageddon, to name but a very few?
To say the film is filled with clichés and stereotypes is an understatement but that in itself is not a bad thing at all. Set in the sixth century, the film follows Dastan (Gyllenhaal) a street urchin who wins the Persian kings heart and a place in his family, as his youngest son. Dastan grows up to be a rebel with all the qualities of a noble man and no yearning for the thrown. It is also thanks to Dastan that the Persian's are able to take down the holy city of Alamut, though the king himself is unaware of this. Things seem to be going from good to fantastic when suddenly the king is murdered and the blame placed upon Dastan. Fleeing for his life, Dastan takes with him the rival Princess Tamina (Arterton) and a small dagger that possesses extraordinary powers.
From here you get wonderful scenic views, wacky characters and Arabian music with some creepy villains to follow.
Cliché's and some cheesy lines aside, Prince of Persia is like a yo-yo. It fails, delivers, fails and delivers and before long you throw logic and consistency to one side and try and enjoy this without too much thought.
The downfall in this film is its predictability. You can smell the antagonist from a mile off, though at times the film does try to throw your mind off track, which it manages to do, but only briefly. Jake as the Prince is quite inconsistent. His English accent is good but it changes from posh English to chav English and therefore it takes the shine away from his performance, which to be honest isn't too bad. Obviously he's trained for the role and seems to fit the build and agility required. Gemma Arterton will blow you away with her looks alone. Though she is tanned beyond belief, she looks wonderful and her acting is good too, as I remember her terrible little Cameo in the last James Bond film. Alfred Molina is clichéd but fun and Ben Kinglsey is just Ben Kingsley. The rest of the cast aren't anything to rave on about and supply ample support.
There are a couple of really bad things about this film and the first is pronunciation. When Hollywood decides to make a film based on middle-eastern culture, it pains me when every character in the film cannot pronounce the names of either cities or people in the correct manner, and this has been done a million times throughout the years. You'd think that Hollywood, with all its millions and researches would get the small details correct.
Also, there are many situations in this that make you cringe; for example, the bad guy who has a change of heart and does a good deed just before sacrificing his life in the name of redemption. Pulease, boring, and so been there before.
There is a certain Pirates of the Caribbean/Jewel of the Nile feel to the movie and if you liked those films, then this one will fit in nicely. Adventure, villains (many different types) action, bloodshed and CGI (which I have to admit is amazing) are all packed in and work wonderfully alongside each other. The final battle is a little short but epic in more ways than one and I have to admit I was satisfied with the end result of the film.
BEST SCENE: Every time Dastan uses the dagger, it does not fail to impress me. The special effects have really improved over the last decade and it definitely shows here. Some of the battle sequences are breathtaking too.
FINAL VERDICT:
A lot of fun, yet flawed throughout. This film is definitely one to watch but the younger generation will love this and the older will yearn for something slightly original, which unfortunately they will not get.
7/10 – Very Good