CASEY PHILLIPS: "Super Mario Bros." "Alone in the Dark." "Street Fighter." "Doom."
The history of films based on video games is rife with atrocious adaptations bad enough to make fans of either medium wince simply at the thought of them. That, of course, makes the few films that get it right all the more precious. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is one of those rare films.
Jordan Mechner, who wrote the story for the original "Prince of Persia" game in 1989, also penned the story for the film. What he and director Mike Newell have done is capture the energy and spirit of the acrobatic-heavy series without shoehorning in a tangled knot of in-jokes and references that would have clogged things up. The film stands alone as an exciting, well-paced adventure that should please gamers and fans of summer cinema alike.
HOLLY LEBER: Neither of which am I, but "Prince of Persia" exceeded my expectations. Of course, two hours of Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't hurt. The biceps make up for the ridiculous hair. I'll let Casey, who let out more than one well-warranted gasp, talk about Gemma Arterton. Suffice to say they made an attractive couple and had some pretty sizzling chemistry to boot.
REVIEWED THIS WEEK* Movie: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."* Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.* Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.* Synopsis: A Persian street orphan raised to princehood discovers a dagger with the ability to turn back time but is on the run after being framed for the death of his adopted father.
Also aesthetically pleasing were the costume and production design. The movie was filmed in Morocco, and the location adds richness and intrigue. I checked flight prices to Marrakech after seeing it. Seriously.
CASEY: Ms. Arterton definitely made her costumes look ... nice. Enough said.
The secondary casting was equally spot on. Ben Kingsley is naturally despicable (unless he's Gandhi, of course), and he's well chosen to play the prince's evil, evil adopted uncle. At the opposite end of the scale, Alfred Molina plays a brilliant off-kilter (if confusingly Cockney) ostrich-racing magnate who comes off as a nod of the tri-corner hat to one Capt. Jack Sparrow.
HOLLY: Note: The costume designer, Penny Rose, also did all three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
The fault here lies in a lack of original characters. We've all seen the suffering princess, the embittered brother and the plucky urchin. "Prince of Persia" borrows from its elder animated cousins "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" quite readily. At least those are good ones from which to borrow.
CASEY: "Prince of Persia" isn't perfect. The plot is ho-hum, and the special effects are occasionally overused, but overall, it's surprisingly enjoyable romp.
HOLLY: I should note that seeing "Prince of Persia" was my idea. Casey was willing to see "Sex and the City 2." He's enlightened, ladies. And single.