From the creators of Pirates of the Caribbean comes an all new action film: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Prince of Persia is the second franchise rated PG-13 made by Walt Disney (The first, of course being, Pirates of the Caribbean). The movie is based off the popular video games of the same name. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Dastan, a prince of Persia who was picked off the streets by the king of Persia. After conquering the fabled city of Alamut, Dastan is celebrated everywhere due to his role in the victory. However, his rejoicing does not last long as his father is poisoned to death at the celebration and all faults fall on him. As he escapes with his life still intact, Dastan tries to find a way to explain himself. He teams up with rival princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) as they protect a mythical dagger that has the ability to rewind time from falling into the wrong hands.
What to say about this movie? While the movie does have its perks, I'm not quite pleased with the movie overall. I find the acting to very awkward and stilted, almost as if the entire thing was staged (ironically). The acting lacks the naturalness found in most movies. You grow more accustomed to the acting as the film goes on but it still definitely could have been better. The dialogue also sounds quite awkward for some reason. It could be the slight accent or it could be just that the script was poorly written. It felt more as if the actors and actresses were trying too hard. However, the movie is not without its memorable quotes though, and there are quite a few in the later parts of the film. Almost the entire length of the film is nonstop action from swordplay to acrobatic leaps over great distances. There is rarely a moment of rest. Sometimes I'm afraid to blink while watching this because I'm afraid that I'll miss a key moment because that's how fast the pace is. I'm quite sure a number of action lovers out there will love this aspect of the film. Of course, no movie is without its romances but this was one part the film barely touched because it's focused too much on the action. You can only feel that there's at least some attraction between the two main characters but really there's nothing else. The chemistry just isn't working out that nicely.
I do must, however, commend on the film's soundtrack as it has a brilliant theme. The writers made sure to make it sound at least a little bit Middle Eastern.
Conclusion? This movie is great in terms of action (and adventure) but it's really not much in respect to the other aspects such as romance and talents. The film experiences quite a number of problems when it comes to continuity (make up and costume) and all the more anachronisms. The special effects aren't that great either as you rarely see anything worth your attention. I'm actually quite disappointed considering how great of a success Pirates of the Caribbean was. Maybe it's best if Disney just sticks with animated kids movies than try to create a film directed at anyone in their teens or above. So, if you're all for the action, definitely see this movie but don't expect much from it.
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