Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Directed by: Mike Newell | 117 minutes | action, adventure, romance, fantasy | Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell, Reece Ritchie, Richard Coyle, Ambika Jois, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Dave Pope, Daud Shah, Selva Rasalingam, Ronald Pickup, Steve Toussaint, Stephen A. Pope, Casillas Medina, Thomas DuPont, Charlie Banks

When Jerry Bruckheimer is involved in a film project, you know you can expect a lot of spectacle. The Hollywood producer does not care about a few cents and has already spent a lot of money to provide his films with the latest special effects, explosions and stunts. Thanks to this excess of spectacle, Bruckheimer has a love-hate relationship with the critics, who often label his films as ‘a lot of screaming, little wool’. However, audiences walk away with spectacle pieces such as ‘Bad Boys’ (1995), ‘Pearl Harbor’ (2001) and ‘National Treasure’ (2004). Moreover, Bruckheimer dared to release the large-scale ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003). Bold, because two pirate films (‘Cutthroat Island’, 1995 and ‘Treasure Planet’, 2002) already flopped enormously. Bruckheimer got away with it – and how: ‘Pirates’ turned out to be an outright hit – partly thanks to a starring role by the great Johnny Depp – and yielded more than 650 million dollars. The success was further exploited with two sequels. A fourth part is expected in 2011.

Bruckheimer is now taking his chances with a filmed computer game, ‘Prince of Persia’. Many filmmakers have already bumped their heads in this subgenre, but he doesn’t let that deter him. In fact, Bruckheimer immediately takes it big and launches ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ (2010) – the subtitle suggests that he still has a number of parts on the shelf – as the new ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ . Whether the adventures of the Persian prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) will catch on as well as those of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) remains to be seen. In any case, ‘The Sands of Time’ has a high entertainment value. Dastan is actually not a prince at all, but an orphaned child. As a little boy, he was adopted by King Sharaman of Persia. He raised him like his own son. He has since grown into one of the best warriors, brave and agile. Thanks to him, the Persians manage to take the holy city of Alamut. But when the king suddenly dies, ‘bastard’ Dastan is seen as a murderer. He is forced to flee and finds a troublesome fellow escapee in the beautiful princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). She has her own reasons for protecting her city: the Dagger of Time: a dagger that has special powers and therefore absolutely must not fall into the wrong hands.

Jordan Mechner, the creator of the video game the film was based on, has been involved in the production throughout the entire process, which should be a relief for loyal fans of the game. Basically not much has changed in the game and the characters. Jerry Bruckheimer saw in ‘Prince of Persia’ an excellent opportunity to fully exploit the possibilities offered by today’s digital techniques. In the first half of the film he manages to hold back and the viewer is given the time to find out who is who and what their relationship is. In addition to Dastan and Tamina, Dastan’s brothers Tus (Richard Coyle from the hilarious British comedy series ‘Coupling’) and Garsiv (Tony Kebbell) and his uncle and confidant Nizam (Ben Kingsley) play important roles in the story. Alfred Molina provides the comic relief as the money-hungry sheik Amar, who earns a lot of money from ostrich races. Unfortunately, when the film is just over halfway through, Bruckheimer is completely blown away and the viewer is treated to a barrage of special effects, lavish action scenes and ridiculous plot twists. The contrast with the first half, which also contains enough action scenes, but where it all still remains reasonably balanced with each other, is great. Well, it’s also part of Bruckheimer’s way of crossing the line. His fans will take it for granted.

As you would expect from a film that could cost some money, the film looks to pass through a ring. The setting in the Middle East, with its mysterious sands and enchanting towns, is of course ideal as a film location. Cinematographer John Seale has gone out of his way to create the right atmosphere. But the costumes and make-up are also nice. This certainly also applies to the wonderful soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams, to which Alanis Morissette also contributed. Most attention will undoubtedly go to the action scenes and special effects, which are definitely worth checking out. Director Mike Newell apparently let himself be drawn to the Bruckheimer cart with love, because he never manages to put his own stamp on the film. The acting deserves a big thumbs up. To see Jake Gyllenhaal, who mainly made a name for himself as the unworldly anti-hero ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001), now takes some getting used to as an action hero, but he doesn’t do it bad at all. Opinions are divided about Gemma Arterton’s acting abilities, but in an adventure film like this she is perfectly at home. But again it’s the veterans – Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina – who show the best.

Whether Jerry Bruckheimer indeed has the new ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ in his house with ‘Prince of Persia’ remains to be seen. No matter how hard he tries, Jake Gyllenhaal is not Johnny Depp and ‘Prince of Persia’ also lacks the necessary humor. And those are the greatest assets of ‘Pirates’. But with this epic spectacle, Bruckheimer does deliver another blockbuster of size, which represents entertainment with a capital A. This film is exactly what you can expect from Bruckheimer. Do you like bombastic yet rousing action scenes, lavish sets and an exciting story – and who doesn’t like that, every now and then? Then you will be served at your beck and call with ‘Prince of Persia’!