The movie I have been waiting two years for is finally here.
Being an enthusiast of the game franchises dating back to since I was a child (the original Prince of Persia for DOS and Apple 2 was the first computer game I ever played) I had very high hopes for this movie.
Now, granted 99% of the time a movie based on a video game is pure rot, we can all thank Uwe Boll for that, but with Disney and the crew behind Pirates of the Caribbean manning the helm of this game-to-film adaptation, I couldn’t help but not have hope.
Fortunately my hopes weren’t in vein; this high-budget adventure in the Persian Empire did not fail to entertain.
With all the different stories of the Prince of Persia franchise name, it made sense that Disney would pursue the story of The Sands of Time, arguably the most popular tale in PoP lore; it was also gutsy for that same reason, as any straying from that story would have fanboys around the globe in revolt.
Disney certainly took liberties with the story, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the movie, if anything it breathed fresh life into it. The largest difference is in the prince himself. The prince in the video game Sands of Time is a pompous and aristocratic ass who evolves throughout the game to become a true hero, where the movie has him start as an orphan in the streets of Persia who is adopted by the king after witnessed committing a brave and selfless act; not a change that crippled the tale, and had many great aspect, but it was the making of a different prince.
Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a lot of caution radars of critics, many thinking he wouldn’t have what it takes as he is not an accomplished action star, but really I thought it helped his cause. The Prince of Persia has never been a beefy badass (though Gyllenhaal clearly has been hitting the gym for this role), but has always relied more on cunning, agility, instincts and intelligence where many heroes just stand by brute force. Seeing an already accomplished action star like Jason Statham or Sam Worthington would leave the audience comparing action roles with previous films, where Gyllenhaal is giving us something new we can’t get lost comparing to other roles. His character is at times a little too goody-goody compared to his video game counterpart, but again the origins of the character greatly forms who they are; it was clear that the theme of his character was nobility through deed not through blood, which came across nicely and was actually a little refreshing to be freed from the done-to-death jerk-to-hero element that plagues many stories, however it just would have been nice if the prince’s heroism was more of a character development instead of a character trait; but that is more an issue with the writing than the actor.
Gyllenhaal makes an incredibly engaging prince and makes you really like him, at times it did feel like you were in the Prince of Persia games as the prince had to use his problem solving skills to get through certain obstacles or confrontations; Gyllenhaal took the role perfectly as you could always see the gears moving in his head as he had to rely on wit and cunning to get out of situations. His partnering with Gemma Arterton, who played the princess Tamina, was always enjoyable and entertaining as their on screen presences complimented one another beautifully. Witty banter and the constant attempts to one-up and outsmart one another made them extremely enjoyable and at times was reminiscent of the constant double-crossing from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Arterton plays a perfect counterpart to the prince, as she isn’t completely plagued by being a damsel in distress. She does lack combat expertise, as one would expect of a princess of that timeline, but her sharp wit is often too quick even for that of the prince’s, making her a very impactful character despite her lack of abilities when swords come into play instead of words.
Just to help matters more, the supporting cast are all terrific. The characters of Nizam, Tus and Garsiv frequently keep the audience trying to figure out who the true villain is as all characters play off their flaws, but also several times show nobility to make them appear to be protagonist allies.
So with strong lead actors and a solid supporting cast, was the story able to hold up?
Damn right it did.
Again it did take liberties from the Sands of Time video game, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the changes were handled tastefully. The story is your straight forward tale of a hero rising to confront evil, but it’s a damn fun ride while you’re on the journey. With character development not done into overkill, and not too many side distractions, the tale of the orphan-turned-prince who is out to undo a great wrong is handled quite nicely with a very trim-the-fat kind of feel to it; the viewer is given enough but not so much that it feels like it’s too much, but still just enough left out to leave to the imagination. The Sands of Time game does have the preferable story line for me as the prince is the one who committed the awful act and he’s not only looking to set things right but also to redeem himself, where this prince is essentially accused of committing a great evil and is trying to prove his innocence while also righting the terrible wrong done by others, it does make him out to be too good at times, but it is handled tastefully so it can be overlooked and enjoyed.
The most important element of this story is that one does not have to have played the video game before seeing this movie, it’s accessible to all comers and feels very welcoming; there are many throwbacks to every single Prince of Persia game littered throughout the movie to give the fans some service, but it’s done extremely subtly and won’t make non-gamers feel cast out.
I can’t do this review without overlooking the music. Prince of Persia has always had beautiful music (well except for Warrior Within, which tried to win over more “hardcore” gamers by having a heavy metal soundtrack, but we all make mistakes). Enchanting Arabian melodies with haunting vocals in the background can give one goosebumps, and the music of this film does the games proud as it perfectly accents moments of lightheartedness, intensity and conflict.
The visuals are simply fantastic in this movie. The sets are very believable and the wardrobes are gorgeous. Prince of Persia is simply visually stunning, I don’t know how to better describe it.
This is not just another video game made into a movie, this is a story that follows the premise of a game title, but then was made into something new and wonderful. Disney took the name of a very beloved franchise and made it their own. With great action, terrific characters and sharp dialogue, this was a movie that will be certainly getting added to my home library.
I’m out
Written by Lee Clifford
The movie I have been waiting two years for is finally here.
Being an enthusiast of the game franchises dating back to since I was a child (the original Prince of Persia for DOS and Apple 2 was the first computer game I ever played) I had very high hopes for this movie.
Now, granted 99% of the time a movie based on a video game is pure rot, we can all thank Uwe Boll for that, but with Disney and the crew behind Pirates of the Caribbean manning the helm of this game-to-film adaptation, I couldn’t help but not have hope.
Fortunately my hopes weren’t in vein; this high-budget adventure in the Persian Empire did not fail to entertain.
With all the different stories of the Prince of Persia franchise name, it made sense that Disney would pursue the story of The Sands of Time, arguably the most popular tale in PoP lore; it was also gutsy for that same reason, as any straying from that story would have fanboys around the globe in revolt.
Disney certainly took liberties with the story, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the movie, if anything it breathed fresh life into it. The largest difference is in the prince himself. The prince in the video game Sands of Time is a pompous and aristocratic ass who evolves throughout the game to become a true hero, where the movie has him start as an orphan in the streets of Persia who is adopted by the king after witnessed committing a brave and selfless act; not a change that crippled the tale, and had many great aspect, but it was the making of a different prince.
Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a lot of caution radars of critics, many thinking he wouldn’t have what it takes as he is not an accomplished action star, but really I thought it helped his cause. The Prince of Persia has never been a beefy badass (though Gyllenhaal clearly has been hitting the gym for this role), but has always relied more on cunning, agility, instincts and intelligence where many heroes just stand by brute force. Seeing an already accomplished action star like Jason Statham or Sam Worthington would leave the audience comparing action roles with previous films, where Gyllenhaal is giving us something new we can’t get lost comparing to other roles. His character is at times a little too goody-goody compared to his video game counterpart, but again the origins of the character greatly forms who they are; it was clear that the theme of his character was nobility through deed not through blood, which came across nicely and was actually a little refreshing to be freed from the done-to-death jerk-to-hero element that plagues many stories, however it just would have been nice if the prince’s heroism was more of a character development instead of a character trait; but that is more an issue with the writing than the actor.
Gyllenhaal makes an incredibly engaging prince and makes you really like him, at times it did feel like you were in the Prince of Persia games as the prince had to use his problem solving skills to get through certain obstacles or confrontations; Gyllenhaal took the role perfectly as you could always see the gears moving in his head as he had to rely on wit and cunning to get out of situations. His partnering with Gemma Arterton, who played the princess Tamina, was always enjoyable and entertaining as their on screen presences complimented one another beautifully. Witty banter and the constant attempts to one-up and outsmart one another made them extremely enjoyable and at times was reminiscent of the constant double-crossing from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Arterton plays a perfect counterpart to the prince, as she isn’t completely plagued by being a damsel in distress. She does lack combat expertise, as one would expect of a princess of that timeline, but her sharp wit is often too quick even for that of the prince’s, making her a very impactful character despite her lack of abilities when swords come into play instead of words.
Just to help matters more, the supporting cast are all terrific. The characters of Nizam, Tus and Garsiv frequently keep the audience trying to figure out who the true villain is as all characters play off their flaws, but also several times show nobility to make them appear to be protagonist allies.
So with strong lead actors and a solid supporting cast, was the story able to hold up?
Damn right it did.
Again it did take liberties from the Sands of Time video game, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the changes were handled tastefully. The story is your straight forward tale of a hero rising to confront evil, but it’s a damn fun ride while you’re on the journey. With character development not done into overkill, and not too many side distractions, the tale of the orphan-turned-prince who is out to undo a great wrong is handled quite nicely with a very trim-the-fat kind of feel to it; the viewer is given enough but not so much that it feels like it’s too much, but still just enough left out to leave to the imagination. The Sands of Time game does have the preferable story line for me as the prince is the one who committed the awful act and he’s not only looking to set things right but also to redeem himself, where this prince is essentially accused of committing a great evil and is trying to prove his innocence while also righting the terrible wrong done by others, it does make him out to be too good at times, but it is handled tastefully so it can be overlooked and enjoyed.
The most important element of this story is that one does not have to have played the video game before seeing this movie, it’s accessible to all comers and feels very welcoming; there are many throwbacks to every single Prince of Persia game littered throughout the movie to give the fans some service, but it’s done extremely subtly and won’t make non-gamers feel cast out.
I can’t do this review without overlooking the music. Prince of Persia has always had beautiful music (well except for Warrior Within, which tried to win over more “hardcore” gamers by having a heavy metal soundtrack, but we all make mistakes). Enchanting Arabian melodies with haunting vocals in the background can give one goosebumps, and the music of this film does the games proud as it perfectly accents moments of lightheartedness, intensity and conflict.
The visuals are simply fantastic in this movie. The sets are very believable and the wardrobes are gorgeous. Prince of Persia is simply visually stunning, I don’t know how to better describe it.
This is not just another video game made into a movie, this is a story that follows the premise of a game title, but then was made into something new and wonderful. Disney took the name of a very beloved franchise and made it their own. With great action, terrific characters and sharp dialogue, this was a movie that will be certainly getting added to my home library.
I’m out
Written by Lee Clifford
The movie I have been waiting two years for is finally here.
Being an enthusiast of the game franchises dating back to since I was a child (the original Prince of Persia for DOS and Apple 2 was the first computer game I ever played) I had very high hopes for this movie.
Now, granted 99% of the time a movie based on a video game is pure rot, we can all thank Uwe Boll for that, but with Disney and the crew behind Pirates of the Caribbean manning the helm of this game-to-film adaptation, I couldn’t help but not have hope.
Fortunately my hopes weren’t in vein; this high-budget adventure in the Persian Empire did not fail to entertain.
With all the different stories of the Prince of Persia franchise name, it made sense that Disney would pursue the story of The Sands of Time, arguably the most popular tale in PoP lore; it was also gutsy for that same reason, as any straying from that story would have fanboys around the globe in revolt.
Disney certainly took liberties with the story, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the movie, if anything it breathed fresh life into it. The largest difference is in the prince himself. The prince in the video game Sands of Time is a pompous and aristocratic ass who evolves throughout the game to become a true hero, where the movie has him start as an orphan in the streets of Persia who is adopted by the king after witnessed committing a brave and selfless act; not a change that crippled the tale, and had many great aspect, but it was the making of a different prince.
Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a lot of caution radars of critics, many thinking he wouldn’t have what it takes as he is not an accomplished action star, but really I thought it helped his cause. The Prince of Persia has never been a beefy badass (though Gyllenhaal clearly has been hitting the gym for this role), but has always relied more on cunning, agility, instincts and intelligence where many heroes just stand by brute force. Seeing an already accomplished action star like Jason Statham or Sam Worthington would leave the audience comparing action roles with previous films, where Gyllenhaal is giving us something new we can’t get lost comparing to other roles. His character is at times a little too goody-goody compared to his video game counterpart, but again the origins of the character greatly forms who they are; it was clear that the theme of his character was nobility through deed not through blood, which came across nicely and was actually a little refreshing to be freed from the done-to-death jerk-to-hero element that plagues many stories, however it just would have been nice if the prince’s heroism was more of a character development instead of a character trait; but that is more an issue with the writing than the actor.
Gyllenhaal makes an incredibly engaging prince and makes you really like him, at times it did feel like you were in the Prince of Persia games as the prince had to use his problem solving skills to get through certain obstacles or confrontations; Gyllenhaal took the role perfectly as you could always see the gears moving in his head as he had to rely on wit and cunning to get out of situations. His partnering with Gemma Arterton, who played the princess Tamina, was always enjoyable and entertaining as their on screen presences complimented one another beautifully. Witty banter and the constant attempts to one-up and outsmart one another made them extremely enjoyable and at times was reminiscent of the constant double-crossing from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Arterton plays a perfect counterpart to the prince, as she isn’t completely plagued by being a damsel in distress. She does lack combat expertise, as one would expect of a princess of that timeline, but her sharp wit is often too quick even for that of the prince’s, making her a very impactful character despite her lack of abilities when swords come into play instead of words.
Just to help matters more, the supporting cast are all terrific. The characters of Nizam, Tus and Garsiv frequently keep the audience trying to figure out who the true villain is as all characters play off their flaws, but also several times show nobility to make them appear to be protagonist allies.
So with strong lead actors and a solid supporting cast, was the story able to hold up?
Damn right it did.
Again it did take liberties from the Sands of Time video game, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the changes were handled tastefully. The story is your straight forward tale of a hero rising to confront evil, but it’s a damn fun ride while you’re on the journey. With character development not done into overkill, and not too many side distractions, the tale of the orphan-turned-prince who is out to undo a great wrong is handled quite nicely with a very trim-the-fat kind of feel to it; the viewer is given enough but not so much that it feels like it’s too much, but still just enough left out to leave to the imagination. The Sands of Time game does have the preferable story line for me as the prince is the one who committed the awful act and he’s not only looking to set things right but also to redeem himself, where this prince is essentially accused of committing a great evil and is trying to prove his innocence while also righting the terrible wrong done by others, it does make him out to be too good at times, but it is handled tastefully so it can be overlooked and enjoyed.
The most important element of this story is that one does not have to have played the video game before seeing this movie, it’s accessible to all comers and feels very welcoming; there are many throwbacks to every single Prince of Persia game littered throughout the movie to give the fans some service, but it’s done extremely subtly and won’t make non-gamers feel cast out.
I can’t do this review without overlooking the music. Prince of Persia has always had beautiful music (well except for Warrior Within, which tried to win over more “hardcore” gamers by having a heavy metal soundtrack, but we all make mistakes). Enchanting Arabian melodies with haunting vocals in the background can give one goosebumps, and the music of this film does the games proud as it perfectly accents moments of lightheartedness, intensity and conflict.
The visuals are simply fantastic in this movie. The sets are very believable and the wardrobes are gorgeous. Prince of Persia is simply visually stunning, I don’t know how to better describe it.
This is not just another video game made into a movie, this is a story that follows the premise of a game title, but then was made into something new and wonderful. Disney took the name of a very beloved franchise and made it their own. With great action, terrific characters and sharp dialogue, this was a movie that will be certainly getting added to my home library.
I’m out
Written by Lee Clifford
The movie I have been waiting two years for is finally here.
Being an enthusiast of the game franchises dating back to since I was a child (the original Prince of Persia for DOS and Apple 2 was the first computer game I ever played) I had very high hopes for this movie.
Now, granted 99% of the time a movie based on a video game is pure rot, we can all thank Uwe Boll for that, but with Disney and the crew behind Pirates of the Caribbean manning the helm of this game-to-film adaptation, I couldn’t help but not have hope.
Fortunately my hopes weren’t in vein; this high-budget adventure in the Persian Empire did not fail to entertain.
With all the different stories of the Prince of Persia franchise name, it made sense that Disney would pursue the story of The Sands of Time, arguably the most popular tale in PoP lore; it was also gutsy for that same reason, as any straying from that story would have fanboys around the globe in revolt.
Disney certainly took liberties with the story, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the movie, if anything it breathed fresh life into it. The largest difference is in the prince himself. The prince in the video game Sands of Time is a pompous and aristocratic ass who evolves throughout the game to become a true hero, where the movie has him start as an orphan in the streets of Persia who is adopted by the king after witnessed committing a brave and selfless act; not a change that crippled the tale, and had many great aspect, but it was the making of a different prince.
Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a lot of caution radars of critics, many thinking he wouldn’t have what it takes as he is not an accomplished action star, but really I thought it helped his cause. The Prince of Persia has never been a beefy badass (though Gyllenhaal clearly has been hitting the gym for this role), but has always relied more on cunning, agility, instincts and intelligence where many heroes just stand by brute force. Seeing an already accomplished action star like Jason Statham or Sam Worthington would leave the audience comparing action roles with previous films, where Gyllenhaal is giving us something new we can’t get lost comparing to other roles. His character is at times a little too goody-goody compared to his video game counterpart, but again the origins of the character greatly forms who they are; it was clear that the theme of his character was nobility through deed not through blood, which came across nicely and was actually a little refreshing to be freed from the done-to-death jerk-to-hero element that plagues many stories, however it just would have been nice if the prince’s heroism was more of a character development instead of a character trait; but that is more an issue with the writing than the actor.
Gyllenhaal makes an incredibly engaging prince and makes you really like him, at times it did feel like you were in the Prince of Persia games as the prince had to use his problem solving skills to get through certain obstacles or confrontations; Gyllenhaal took the role perfectly as you could always see the gears moving in his head as he had to rely on wit and cunning to get out of situations. His partnering with Gemma Arterton, who played the princess Tamina, was always enjoyable and entertaining as their on screen presences complimented one another beautifully. Witty banter and the constant attempts to one-up and outsmart one another made them extremely enjoyable and at times was reminiscent of the constant double-crossing from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Arterton plays a perfect counterpart to the prince, as she isn’t completely plagued by being a damsel in distress. She does lack combat expertise, as one would expect of a princess of that timeline, but her sharp wit is often too quick even for that of the prince’s, making her a very impactful character despite her lack of abilities when swords come into play instead of words.
Just to help matters more, the supporting cast are all terrific. The characters of Nizam, Tus and Garsiv frequently keep the audience trying to figure out who the true villain is as all characters play off their flaws, but also several times show nobility to make them appear to be protagonist allies.
So with strong lead actors and a solid supporting cast, was the story able to hold up?
Damn right it did.
Again it did take liberties from the Sands of Time video game, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the changes were handled tastefully. The story is your straight forward tale of a hero rising to confront evil, but it’s a damn fun ride while you’re on the journey. With character development not done into overkill, and not too many side distractions, the tale of the orphan-turned-prince who is out to undo a great wrong is handled quite nicely with a very trim-the-fat kind of feel to it; the viewer is given enough but not so much that it feels like it’s too much, but still just enough left out to leave to the imagination. The Sands of Time game does have the preferable story line for me as the prince is the one who committed the awful act and he’s not only looking to set things right but also to redeem himself, where this prince is essentially accused of committing a great evil and is trying to prove his innocence while also righting the terrible wrong done by others, it does make him out to be too good at times, but it is handled tastefully so it can be overlooked and enjoyed.
The most important element of this story is that one does not have to have played the video game before seeing this movie, it’s accessible to all comers and feels very welcoming; there are many throwbacks to every single Prince of Persia game littered throughout the movie to give the fans some service, but it’s done extremely subtly and won’t make non-gamers feel cast out.
I can’t do this review without overlooking the music. Prince of Persia has always had beautiful music (well except for Warrior Within, which tried to win over more “hardcore” gamers by having a heavy metal soundtrack, but we all make mistakes). Enchanting Arabian melodies with haunting vocals in the background can give one goosebumps, and the music of this film does the games proud as it perfectly accents moments of lightheartedness, intensity and conflict.
The visuals are simply fantastic in this movie. The sets are very believable and the wardrobes are gorgeous. Prince of Persia is simply visually stunning, I don’t know how to better describe it.
This is not just another video game made into a movie, this is a story that follows the premise of a game title, but then was made into something new and wonderful. Disney took the name of a very beloved franchise and made it their own. With great action, terrific characters and sharp dialogue, this was a movie that will be certainly getting added to my home library.
