Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

For as long as I can remember, video game adaptations have been categorized as, well...BAD! It seems that a curse has been placed on video game adaptations because whether its a movie about, aliens, assassins, or treasure hunters, the movie versions are hardly ever well received. When the media heard that the immensely popular "Prince of Persia" series was getting its own chance at silver screen fame, people started wondering if the curse could be broken. And when we learned the the films would consist of producer Jerry Bruckheimer("Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy), director Mike Newell ("Harry Potter 4") and actor Jake Gyllenhaal at the lead, things were starting to look good for the newest video game adaption. Sure enough, it seems that this new Arabian Nights tale has taken the genre of video game films in a new and better direction.

The Persian empire is under the rule of King Sharaman who has two sons, Tus and Garsiv but one day the king brings in another son off the streets whose name is Dastan(Jake Gyllenhaal). The king sees good in young Dastan's heart when Dastan saves a boy in the market from cruel soldiers and so he makes him a prince. After the first five minutes, we see the three brothers all grown up and on the way to attack the city of Alamut because they believe that they are selling weapons to enemies of Persia. During this raid, Dastan finds a mystical dagger of which no one except the princess of the city, Tamina (Gemma Arterton), knows the true powers.

When the army successfully overtakes the city, the king travels to celebrate with his three sons. Dastan is given a robe to present the king as a celebratory gift of their victory but when the kings puts it on, he is soon killed by poison that was soaked into the robe. Suspected by the people as the murderer, Dastan flees with Tamina and go on a quest to clear his name. Soon after they flee, Dastan realizes that the dagger he found is capable of taking back time and told by Tamina that he must protect the dagger at all costs.

The best thing about "Prince of Persia" is that it has top notch stunts and action sequences, the best I've seen in a long time. One of the top things that made the video games so popular were the acrobatic abilities of the prince. He could swing off of poles, do back flips across walls, and my personal favorite...running on walls. So naturally, the film had to include this factor and for me it was the most enjoyable part of the film because when you include the classic sword fights and then throw in acrobatic stunts throughout...it goes together very well (it is almost like "Pirates of the Caribbean" on steroids).

One thing that sets this film aside from other video game adaptions is the good, well thought story. Most video game films have poor story lines because they are strictly based off of the video games themselves. In this film, they take elements from the game but then re-craft the story into a more original plot line, much like what producer Jerry Bruckheimer did with "Pirates of the Caribbean." This is the way to go because it allows for a more creative approach to the film and it's story.

All in all, "Prince of Persia" has almost every element that one could want: great action, great stunts, romance, suspense, a good script, etc. I think it is now clear that all video game films do not have to be terrible. The "curse" has been broken. Three stars out of four.

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" has a running time of 116 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.