Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Boaz Yakin (screenplay), Doug Miro (screenplay)

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Dastan
Gemma Arterton	...	Tamina
Ben Kingsley	...	Nizam
Alfred Molina	...	Sheik Amar
Steve Toussaint	...	Seso
Toby Kebbell	...	Garsiv
Richard Coyle	...	Tus
Ronald Pickup	...	King Sharaman
Reece Ritchie	...	Bis
Gísli Örn Garðarsson	...	Hassansin Leader
Claudio Pacifico	...	Hassansin Porcupine
Thomas DuPont	...	Hassansin Whip Man
Dave Pope	...	Hassansin Giant Scimitar
Domonkos Pardanyi	...	Hassansin Double-Bladed Halberd
Massimiliano Ubaldi	...	Hassansin Long Razor (as Massimilano Ubaldi)

Storyline

Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

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Plot Keywords:

persia | alamut | dagger | prince | sand | 

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Taglines:

Defy the Future

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Did You Know?

Trivia

The outfits and costumes worn by Jake Gyllenhaal throughout the movie are designed after Prince Dastan's costumes throughout the entire Prince of Persia game trilogy and not just the first game.

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Goofs

After Alamut has been attacked, Tus proposes to Tamina. She refuses but then sees Dastan standing to her right, with the dagger, so she agrees to marry Tus and he lifts her left hand to kiss it, then raises it in the air. But when he lifts her hand, it is her right hand and Dastan is now on her left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tus: [voiceover] Long ago in a land far away, there once rose an empire that stretched from the steppes of China to the shores of the Mediterranean. That empire was Persia. Fierce in battle, wise in victory. Where the Persian sword went, order followed. The Persian king, Sharaman, ruled with his brother, Nizam, upon the principles of loyalty and brotherhood.

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Connections

Referenced in Maltin on Movies: Red (2010)

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Soundtracks

I Remain
Written by Alanis Morissette and Mike Elizondo
Strings Arranged by Bruce Fowler
Produced by Mike Elizondo
Performed by Alanis Morissette

User Reviews

The sands have spread fairly thin and it shows... but surprisingly in a good way

The common view amongst "professional" reviews is that the movie is average. scoring below 50% from Rotten Tomatoes, and MetaCritic, and notably a 2 out of 4 stars from Roger Ebert. The average user ranking on MC puts it at 9 out of 10.

Most reviews range anywhere from 8 out of 10, to as low as 2 or 3 out of 10.

If there's one thing critics can agree on, its that the movie is clichéd, borrowing elements from plenty of epics based in the Middle East and fantasy alike, and that it's loads of fun.

The one thing no one can agree on is whether that's good or bad.

It should be pointed out that this film is produced by the same company/studio that brought us 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and it certainly shows.

With that said, I'll lead into my thoughts on the film. The first "Pirates" scored on average a 7.8 - 6.4 of 10, while the sequels averaged anywhere from 4.5 to 5.3. I'd say this movie is better than the sequels while not as good as the first.

So, I'd give it roughly a 7 out of 10.

The story is fun, for what it is. Which is a rough retelling of the video game "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", while incorporating elements of the following two sequels, as well as incorporating stylistic elements from the following game and the first three of the original trilogy. Thats right! Based loosely on one game, borrowing elements from SIX more. The movie is stretched too thin, and it shows.

The movie feels like your prototypical "sword and sandal" action flick, borrowing heavily from films like "The Thief of Baghdad", and stories found in "1001 Nights". So think 'Arabian Nights', Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Aladdin, all mixed with some Steve Reeves 'Hercules' and Robert E. Howard 'Conan' flash.

Is it as cheesy as that sounds? YES! Is it as awesome as that sounds? YES!

But it's still well edited, well acted, well scored (Harry Gregson-Williams never fails), and overall well done enough to merit an enjoyable experience.

The ONLY complaints I can think of are few, but here they are: A bit too much CGI, not on the stunts (not much CGI there surprisingly) but on things like demonic-esque snakes (you'll see). Too much random slow-motion. The sexual-tension seemed too forced (too many of those really slow "they're about to kiss but don't" moments). And whereas yes, the ending is supposed to have a "Deus-Ex-Machina" feel to it, in the game it is much more thorough and more explained, in the movie you're just expected to roll with it.

Other than that. A fun night at the movies! Grab your over-priced candy, soda, and popcorn (or do like me and sneak snacks in) and have fun with friends, family and loved ones, recapturing the fun escapism of your childhood with an epic but cliché action movie.

Hope you enjoyed my review... And I hope you enjoy the movie too!

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prince of Persia

Filming Locations:

Tameslouht, Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,095,259, 30 May 2010

Gross USA:

$90,759,676

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$336,365,676

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1