Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Prince of Persia -- The Sands of Time -- 2010


Prince of Persia
The Sands of Time
(2010)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action
My Rating: 4 Stars

Mike Newell
Jerry Bruckheimer

Jake Gyllenhaal
Gemma Arterton
Ben Kingsley
Alfred Molina
Ronald Pickup
Richard Coyle
Toby Kebbell

From the first moment I heard that Jerry Bruckheimer had produced a movie from the concept of the game "Prince of Persia", I wanted to see it. A few days later, I was walking out of a store with it in my hand.

I really enjoyed it. In fact, I could watch it again! Yes, I do see the faults. It is only a mirrored surface of what could have been epic. It gives you just a little taste of the truth and some mixed up ideas about the rest. None the less, I must admit to loving it; I had delightful shivers all the way through it. I love Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones and Star Wars, too. What can I say? ;-)

Nizam: What a glorious mess we are.



Summary:
Legend had slowly weakened over the centuries until it was only a whisper in the wind; secret from the world and the evils that dwelt in it. The truth lay in the bosom of a sacred city and would have stayed, safely sheltered... But there was evil. There was greed and selfishness and corrupt hearts. There was death trapped in a mind and the embers of it glowed and smoldered until the captive was ready to give up his soul.

Persia was the most powerful empire in the world. In fact, the world had become Persian. All bowed, all paid homage. All acknowledged it's power.... Or should we say almost all?




King Sharaman was a ruler for such a Kingdom. He was wise and dispassionate. His heart was for Persia, his sons and his family. His wisdom had shown itself in many forms but the strangest of these had been in regards to the little beggar he had taken off the streets. 


"A great man would have stopped what he knew what was wrong, no matter who was ordering it."


Dastan was not a typical Prince. Probably because he wasn't of loyal blood. Oh yes, he was cocky and irritating and knew everything. But he knew how to fight and he knew how to pick his friends. He knew about the bonds of brotherhood. And he was about to learn about being a real man. 


The story begins as the three sons of Sharaman are debating whether to attack the sacred city of Alamut. A spy had intercepted weapons being transported from Alamut to Persia's enemies. Prince Tus was the oldest and Crown Prince, therefore, in command. Orders from his father had been to not attack Alamut and he did not wish to disregard them. Garsiv, the second son who was brave and fierce, declared that such orders would surely change with turn of events. Dastan was not sure.

The matter was decided when Nizam, the trusted brother of the King, quietly told them this was for the good of Persia. Their hearts turned to his bidding. Because of their trust in him, their minds firmly closed to the murmur of their hearts.

It didn't hurt that rumor had it that Princess Tamina, the ruler of Alamut, was drop dead gorgeous.

Tamina: Must feel wonderful winning such claim for destroying such an innocent city.
Dastan: Oh, a pleasure to meet you too, Princess.

What I Liked:
1: The bond of family and brotherhood is expressed very beautifully in this story.
2: Some very excellent truths were taught.
3: I think this is the first time I've actually seen on screen a decent portrayal of falling in love. They chose to love each other.
4: Pretty awesome acting.
5: Love, love, love the score. It was amazing.
6: The humor was well placed.
Sheir Amar: Tch, secret government killing activity! That's why I don't pay taxes! 
7: The princess is rarely ill-dressed. I could show this film to my brothers. Yay!!
8: I have always loved watching people escape using their own feet, hands and general athleticism. ;-) (One of the reason I enjoyed Mall Cop)
9: Although there are many faults to this film, I believe it's worth watching. I learned from it and I was inspired.
10: The film was fairly clean. Only a couple things I thought could have been thrown out.

What I Didn't Like:
1: I do get caught up in these things, I admit. But they bother me, so: the snakes rattled before biting and there were no rattles on the ends of said snakes' tails. And Jake Gyllenhaal decided that he liked Harrison Ford so much he needed to smile like him. So annoying. :-P
2: Many details were missing regarding culture and some bloopers about language, etc. This was definitely a Hollywood film  that expects you to be carried away with the action.
3: The fact that this film had the potential of being an epic, a masterpiece... and it isn't. I have a little understanding of how much work and effort and time that goes into a movie, so I can't criticize too much. I just wish they had been able to make this film into what it could have been.
4: Some sensuality that was so not needed. It didn't help the story at all. For the record, it was basically a glance and a question that aren't particularly harmful but it ruined the moment that I had been enjoying.

Things to Know:
1: Some magic.
2: Some Eastern religious views were referred to and promoted.
3: The entire story was based on a Noah's ark legend. Interesting.

As with all films, watch with discernment. If you enjoy desert, sheiks, princes, poison, lots of action, snakes, really bad bad guys, good guys who aren't perfect, beautiful princesses, clean romance and ostriches, this is for you. :-)

1 comment:

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