June 7, 2010 Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time
Boy oh boy! Was I super excited to watch this flick! It has been a good month with movies, starting with the Iron Man sequel which, for me, did good justice in taking the story forward and leaving much to look out for in a probable followup.
Any average guy from my age would definitely remember the 2D DOS PC game called The Prince of Persia. Those were the days of lame graphics, synthetic MIDI background scores and fun. You start off as a prince in the dungeons of the palace trying to rescue the princess from the evil Jaffar.
This have changed since then. The child has grown. The dream is gone. The prince has not.
The prince has seen great success in terms of how the storyline has been developed & his amazing depiction, coupled with a great line of games, thanks to UBISoft. I recalled sitting next to my best buddy at bschool, watching him play The Warrior Within, The Sands of Time…and reruns of the same 
If you loved the Mummy for its deserts, the typical background scores and all the thrill of that genre, this is a must watch. Persian urchin with a Brit accent (bloody hell) a.k.a Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside the legendary Gandi, Ben Kingsley, pouring in life, blood and accents in this epic depiction of our childhood gaming life.
The plot is simple if you put logic aside – its a fable afterall. Picture this. Powerful persian king Sharaman (lesser known Ronald Pickup, whom we mistook for Bernard Hill who portrayed King Theodon in LOTR 3) has been expanding his empire, with able sons Tus and Garsiv, uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley of Gandhi fame) has always been a mentor, always been the one filling the king’s cup, but not his throne.
When the battalion attacks the holy city of Alamet with strong beliefs that the city was selling swords & weapons to enemy states, younger brother Dastan who was picked up from the streets by the king to be groomed as a prince, after seeing his grit & courage as a young boy, uses his guerilla warfare to impress his brothers & help towards an easy victory.
Since this is now getting too verbose, let’s sum it up!
The Nizam wants this one particular dagger at Alamet which can turn back time, in order to….. *drum rolls*…..get to the throne (no surprises!). Lot of deceit, lot of action & adventure follows as Dastan (Gyllenhaal) is claimed to be a traitor post a mysterious death of the king.
Much too easily, our Persian hero with a Brit accent & European features runs away with the dagger and the princess of Alamet (Gemma Arterton – Quantum of Solace / Clash of the Titans). An adventure across the desert follows with many interesting characters chipping in – a money minded pirate of sorts, a african slave with a dead-right aim, race ostriches, a clan of deadly assassins called “Hassansins”…
What’s Missing?
I admit that this movie was very interesting & you will not regret the money spent. However, I couldnt help compare with other movies like The Mummy (part 1 only) and see a lot of similarities – the sands, deserts, ancient relic unleashed, which could spell doom, an unlikely hero with not much refinement, a lovely female lead who initially doesnt seem to like our protagonist very much, croonies, little fights of courage, adventures & yes a happy ending.
What sets apart a movie like Mummy however, is the presence of more charismatic & better defined characters. Arnold Vosloo as Hemotep has certainly a lot more going for him in terms of charm and awe than the evil Nizam did in this movie.
Where Brendan Fraser combines great comedy with an effervescent never say die maverick lead character, Jake fits a tad no as well. The chemistry between Brendan & Rachel (Weisz) is amazing, Gemma Atherton doesnt seem to have the delicate charm that she is supposed to, in this flick.
The most important differentiating factor however also lies in the music. Where PoP gets its music from Harry Gregson-Williams whose shot to fame includes the OST for The Replacement Killers (1998) and the videogame Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty, The Mummy was crafted musically by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith who composed the OST for movies like Planet of the Apes (1968), Star Trek : The Motion Picture (1979), Chinatown (1974), Basic Instinct (1992) and his award winning score for The Omen (1976).
I however will not take anything away from this adventure story which will certainly leave you enthralled. Definitely worth a watch.
Rating : 6.5 / 10
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