"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" - REVIEW

It's no secret that some video games have stories rich and complex enough to the point where they are actually better than some films. Nevertheless, the transition from console to theater has never truly been successful. The inherent problem with video game-to-film adaptations is the structure. Video games are built to take hours (7 hours of play from start to finish is considered relatively short), and often have so much in them (levels, enemies, etc...) that trying to cram them all in to a 2 hour film can only lead to disaster. That was where the potential lay, however, for the Sands of Time trilogy in the long-running "Prince of Persia" games. The first installment, The Sands of Time, had a rather straightforward story, with a nice little ending to tie everything back together. Once the prologue was over, and the main conflict kicked into gear, it was simply the story of two people navigating through a ruined kingdom, in order to undo the damage done by the titular Prince. Sure, a good adaptation would have to have condensed events and cut out many of the wondrous locales explored over the game, but it wouldn't have been narratively unsatisfying, because the narrative would have remained the same at its core. Unfortunately, where Mike Newell's big-budget adaptation of the acclaimed video game goes wrong, is that it tries too hard to create something new, and ends up tacking on too much to a simple-yet-sweeping adventure story that needed very little else to begin with.

Much like the game, the story proper begins with the Persian army seizing a city, although instead of simply ransacking it for treasure, they're after "hidden weapons," and it's all too easy to not see the smack-you-in-the-face parallels to the search for WMD's in Iraq. The first 40 minutes or so also feel rushed, and the film moves among locations so often, and the fights are so often shot in close-up with occasional blurry-vision shots that it certainly makes it feel less epic. Thankfully, the problems are mostly contained in the first half of the film, but they are a nuisance. By tacking on so many new characters, good and bad, including two brothers for the titular Prince (buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal), the film doesn't necessarily feel overstuffed, but these aspects are almost totally superfluous. Then there's the nature of the casting. Though Gyllenhaal's hair doesn't look as weird in motion as it does in still images, he still looks out of place (though at least he isn't burdened with any silly hats). However, the rest of cast, though none are outstanding, actually feel more or less right. Gemma Artreton is easily the better half of the central duo, carrying herself with much more poise and showing a better sense for comedic timing, even though much of her banter with Gyllenhaal is often second rate (Pirates of the Caribbean, it is not). Ben Kingsley, as the scheming villain is wasted, though he brings the expected generic charisma to the otherwise thankless role. Alfred Molina is certainly the most embedded in his character's skin, but like Artreton, much of his dialogue is second rate (not to mention that he's underused and totally unnecessary).

That said, even with the limply shot fight scenes, the film does become better when it moves away from throwing around characters, and simply focuses on the characters evading baddies. A brief fight with a chain-claw wielding assassin is probably the stand out, though it too suffers from blurry-vision shots and sub-par framing. Full credit should also go to the sound design, for replacing the punch of the fight scenes that's been removed by the photography. Had the film striven to be a stronger PG-13, it would have been better as a whole. Harry Gregson Williams' score, on the other hand is totally forgettable. But the biggest offender is probably the CGI. For the most part, especially in wide shots, its cartoonish, and in one particular death scene more than a little giggle-worthy. Like the film as a whole, the VFX are sometimes enjoyable, sometimes silly, and wholly forgettable.

Grade: C