Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time***

I felt like this film was just another cliché; your typical action adventure Walt Disney Picture with no surprises and acclaimed happy ending. Nevertheless, considering it was from the producer of Pirates of the Caribbean, Jerry Bruckheimer, I decided to give it a chance. Let's just say it didn't really pay off.

The narrative felt like Stardust, just located in a desert as opposed to hills. Everyone sought after the magical dagger and the sexual tension between Jake Gyllenhaal (The Day After Tomorrow, Brokeback Mountain) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans) was almost cringe worthy, although genuinely comical in some places. Sure, they were appealing to watch as the lead roles, I think the picture above can persuade you of that, but something about Gyllenhaal's accent convinced me that the role could have been performed by a better man. The CGI was so evident and in your face, I couldn't help but think "Hang on, are we playing the video game or watching the film?". This was disappointing with what appeared to be such a beautiful landscape, crumbling city walls and vast amounts of deserted land. I had not read the film's description as I usually do, so in some respects it was a little unpredictable at times and I have to praise it for its non-stop action and little chit chat.

On the other hand, when they did talk the dialogue unfortunately felt like they were trying to explain everything to a five year old, Arterton played a similar role in this film as she did in Clash of the Titans, where all she seemed to do was storytelling. The quote "The only way to stop this Armageddon is for us to take the Dagger to the secret guardian temple" just gives everything away, leaving no mystery or complications for the audience to decipher. Maybe I'm just getting a little frustrated with the traditional narrative being constantly replayed, but it feels that's the only way some directors follow, unless they're involved in art films, and then we have a completely different set of conventions.

With it's quick pans and possibly over used amount of slow motion, the camera technique did do wonders. The stunts were very striking, it felt like I was watching a professional version of parkour, and the slow motion meant the audience could appreciate Gyllenhaal's movements in confined areas surrounded by authority. The costumes were amazing and I thought Gemma Arterton definitely looked the part, even if her performance was not always believable.

Overall, I thought it was worth a watch and some of the cast were well placed, others not. Ben Kingsley took on the role of antagonist Nazim; he seemed to be a familiar face and also played Otto Frank in Ann Frank: The Whole Story, reflecting his ability to take on a dramatic role, although I have heard many people agree he could have been a better villain in Prince of Persia. Alfred Molina, good old Dr. Octavius in Spiderman 2 definitely made me giggle with his quick wit and complaints about taxes. I would say go and see this if you enjoyed The Mummy, just don't expect it to live up to your expectations.