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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Mike Newell,
2010)
Prince of Persia clearly draws some inspiration from the adventure films
that were popular during the golden age of Hollywood. There’s something of a
throwback quality in play here, present in the attempted balancing act between
action, romance, and comic relief. The film is only partially successful in its
efforts, however. Director Newell is competent enough, and he certainly throws
enough on screen to keep the attention from drifting, but moments like those
involving Alfred Molina’s scheming racetrack manager threaten to scuttle the
whole enterprise. Even more damningly, Jake Gyllenhaal is a sullen screen
presence and a far cry from the legends like Errol Flynn and Rudolph Valentino
who cemented the adventure film’s popularity. Without a movie star convincing us
that the ride that we are taking is fun, the overall effect is diminished. In a few of its early scenes, as an
invasion to find hidden weapons within a nation shrouded in mystery is
undertaken, Prince of Persia brims
with subtextual (if obvious) nods to the Iraq invasion. By the midpoint of this
action romp, however, all subtext and motivational shading are forgotten. Once
modern day parallels are jettisoned, the story devolves into a simple story of
good versus evil. Without a particularly memorable villain or a hero worth
cheering for, the pursuit of spectacle overtakes all other considerations. While
that may not be an inherently bad thing, it is almost definitely an
uninteresting thing that will be forgotten as soon as one leaves the theater. 46 Jeremy Heilman 06.27.10
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Better than many films that find their source material in the world of
videogames, but still rather mediocre, Mike Newell’s
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
lumbers onto the big screen with far too much bloated pomp for its own good.
Clearly designed to be the first film in a blockbuster series (the subtitle is
one big tip-off), the movie spares no expense in realizing its fantasy world of
ancient Persia. For the simple, almost retrograde, story that’s being told,
though, the production values are so opulent that they become distracting. Time
and again, the camera moves through elaborate, computer-enhanced sets and
repeatedly shunts the characters to the side to show yet another panoramic
vista. The CG-enhancements are so omnipresent here that they soon become the very
opposite of “special” effects. Worse still, they drain the excitement from the
acrobatics on display. When a computer-generated gymnast becomes interchangeable
with one made out of flesh and blood, any derring-do on display becomes void of
excitement.