Prince of Persia - Review

Its no secret that video games and movies have had a sordid past. Most movies based on games are horrible, while a majority of games based on movies are no different. So when a film like Prince of Persia actually accumulates a modest amount of hype... thats a fairly big deal. When you've got prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean) backing the movie, that instills a bit of confidence for a movie that would have otherwise been just pushed aside. Disney is probably too optimistic if they think this will be as lucrative of a franchise as "Pirates of the Caribbean," but does it at least amount to an entertaining summer blockbuster?

Before I actually review this movie, lets address the elephant in the room. Arguably the most discussed critique of the film has been the casting. The movie is set in ancient Persia, and none of the main cast is of Persian or Arabic descent. Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays the main character of Prince Destan, is Caucasian but also half Jewish. Something another critic pointed out that I find interesting is that Gyllenhaal is the closest thing to a Middle Easterner in the main cast. Most of the other stars like Gemma Arteton and Alfred Molina are clearly Caucasian. The main villain, Ben Kingsley, is half Caucasian and half Indian, making him the only one with a darker skin tone but still with no Middle Eastern heritage. I don't know the reasons behind the casting, nor do I care to speculate whether there was any racial bias in the decisions made. Its just kind of disappointing that the filmmakers were presented with a great opportunity to add some diversity to the typical summer movie season, and they totally blew it.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's the plot of the movie. The film centers around Destan, a young boy who was adopted by the Perisan King Sharaman. Raised among royalty, he grows to become a strong warrior and prince. Now, as an adult, Dastan and his two brothers, Garsiv and Tus, attack the city of Alamut, lead by Princess Tamina, to investigate claims that the city has been supplying Persia's enemies with weapons (oooh subtle :P). The attack is successful, but the King is shortly murdered thereafter, and Destan is accused of the deed. Now, as fugitives, Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina escape from the city and attempt to discover who is behind the King's murder and the mischievous motivations for Aalamut's invasion.

Trying to think of a creative way to review a summer blockbuster like this is not easy. What does the average summer blockbuster mean to you? Do you enjoy over the top action scenes, hokey but fun storylines, and crazy special effects? If so, I can safely assume that Prince of Persia will likely be satisfactory. The acting overall is pretty average. Gylenhaal isn't bad, he does what he set out to do. Gemma Arterton, however, fails to impress. On top her flat line readings, she adds virtually no flair or originality, playing her character totally straight and cliche. One thing I can't help but laugh about is Ben Kingsley's character, Nizam. How many times have you seen a movie that has a guy who is so obviously the villain, yet every character is totally oblivious??? Yeah, that's Kingsley for you right here. Alfred Molina looked like he was having fun in the role, which does make him one of the more animated and enjoyable characters. The cast is hit and miss, but they get the job done.

For the most part, the movie hits most of the important notes for a decent summer blockbuster. It captures the fast pace of the games, has some great action, and very cool special effects. The platforming elements from the games are replicated almost perfectly, with some enjoyable scenes of Destan jumping from wall to wall up big structures. The cgi effects used for any scene involving the dagger of time (a dagger that controls time, also serving as the MacGuffin) are very well done. There is really not much more to talk about here, it does nothing to add to the usual summer movie formula but has it where it counts. Its exactly what I expected it to be, nothing more and nothing less.

The only thing that separates this from most summer movies is the fact that its based on a video game, and that its pretty good. Games are adapted into the movies fairly consistently, but very few adaptations are decent or even watchable for the matter. Aside for a few decent straight-to-video releases, what else is there? Mortal Kombat (cheesy but kind of fun), Tomb Raider (good cast but an ultimately bland movie), Resident Evil (some people liked it, but for me... meh) or Final Fantasy (great animation, but otherwise totally forgettable) are among the better selection. If you're looking for the bad, director Uwe Boll has you covered. Pretty much every game property he touches turns into garbage.

That begs the question, why is it so difficult to adapt a video game into a movie? Is it that they keep choosing games that don't lend themselves to decent stories, is it that most video games are themselves heavily inspired by movies, or is it that directors like Uwe Boll are allow to make movies? While Prince of Persia is by no means a great movie, its the first legitimate step in ages for game adaptations. They chose a game that was inspired by classic Arabian adventure movies, not to mention one that had a fairly generic premise suitable for a Hollywood blockbuster. It captured the fun and pacing of the games, while despite its sub par writing, is the first honestly decent movie based on a game. I don't consider it a huge accomplishment because I never really considered the task to be that difficult. This was a property that lent itself to a film adaptation. Now if a director managed to create a workable narrative from a game like Sonic or Kirby, that would be an impressive feat.

So overall, Prince of Persia is not half bad. If its still in theatres, and you're looking for a fun movie to see, this one's worth a look.

My Score: 3 Stars out of 5!