Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time - A remarkable feat of pure entertainment

19 May 2010

Gerard Wood

Despite much promise, this year’s blockbusters have been falling short of the mark. Some have missed the mark by a long way, Louis Leterrier’s disastrous Clash of the Titans springs to mind, others, like Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, only just failing to live up to expectations. Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 was great fun and raised the bar considerably, but the big surprise is Mike Newell’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which has raised the bar to almost Olympian heights: it is a remarkable feat of pure entertainment.

Based on Jordan Mechner’s iconic computer game (now twenty-one years old, if you can believe it), Prince of Persia is a rollicking high adventure that marks a welcome return to form for producer Jerry Bruckheimer after two lacklustre sequels to 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean. Adapting computer games for the screen is rarely cause for celebration, but Prince of Persia is a rule-breaker and I haven’t enjoyed myself so completely at the cinema for ages. Not once during its 111 minutes did I find myself framing a critical response or thinking about the subtext or wondering how I’d be able to claw back the last two hours of my life. From the outset I was drawn in by the adventure, enthralled by the action and captivated by the extraordinarily beautiful vision unfolding on screen. Awesome landscapes integrate seamlessly with sets that combine  historical detail with fantastical elements of Middle Eastern mythology and the writers’ rich imaginations.

Due, I suspect, to the involvement of British director Mike Newell, expectations were unusually high for what is after all an adaptation of a computer game for the screen. From the romantic comedy of Four Weddings and a Funeral to the gritty drama of Donnie Brasco to the adventure and fantasy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Newell crosses genres more successfully than almost any other director. Even with Order of the Phoenix, the darkest of the Potter series on film so far, Newell demonstrates his trademark focus on character and story. This makes him an ideal choice for managing the transition of a game, with its emphasis on action and acrobatics, to the screen, where plot and character are paramount (well, they are in an ideal world anyway). Bruckheimer has said of his director, “Mike has a really wonderful palette that he paints from, and that’s very important to us. We want an entertaining film that appeals to a broad audience, but also something special, that concentrates on character and story.” With a story provided by Jordan Mechner and a screenplay by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard, believe me when I say that Newell has pulled it off.

But of all the qualities he brings to the project, the most important may be his judgement which enables him to create a believable world but never permits the film to take itself too seriously.

The story follows the adventures of Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a street urchin who is adopted by the noble King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) after the king witnessed Dastan’s remarkable courage and nobility of spirit in defending another child. Raised alongside Sharaman’s sons Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell), Dastan grows into a loving son, an exceptional warrior with unusual acrobatic skills, and a leader of men. Events take a turn for the worse when, against the King’s orders and his own better judgement, he participates in an attack on Alamut, a holy city which is reported to be manufacturing weapons for use by Persia’s enemies. It’s a lie covering a darker truth. The city is taken and with it the Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), guardian of the legendary Sands of Time and a magical dagger which together allow the bearer to reverse time. When King Sharaman arrives to chastise his sons, he is assassinated and all the evidence point to Dastan, who flees and finds himself in an uneasy alliance with Tamina as he strives to clear his name and unravel the mystery of his adoptive father’s murder.

There’s a lot of humour in the script, from the inevitable fireworks between Dastan and Tamina, to darkly witty allusions about the hunt for nonexistent WMDs, to a timeless complaint about taxes courtesy of Alfred Molina’s very funny Sheik Amar, a rogue who has established a tax free haven in the desert where he races Ostriches.

But the film’s highlight is its action, which is as it should be. Completely over the top, it’s impossible not to grin stupidly as Dastan pulls all those gravity defying moves that made the game so unique. But as Gyllenhaal observes, Dastan is still very human for all his acrobatic skill, “I thought that creating an iconic character like Dastan could be both fun and a huge challenge. I’ve always loved movies in which the hero has the capability to do almost anything, but still be a human being, and not a superman.”

While remaining delightfully ridiculous the action, which includes running up walls, has less mystique these days now that parkour, that insane gravity and death-defying acrobatic pastime that emerged on the streets of Paris, has became better known courtesy of movies like Quantum of Solace. Bruckheimer wanted to capture the thrill of the Prince’s moves as realistically as possible and saw in parkour a way to do so, “It’s so exciting to watch people literally bouncing off of walls, all done without wires, doing it through their own physical force.” To that end he recruited the legendary originator of parkour, David Belle, to train Gyllenhaal. It paid off, and Belle was suitably impressed by Gyllenhaal, “Jake certainly had me convinced,” he says. “I’ve seen his work, his movements in various scenes, and I have no doubt.” Judge for yourself:

You'll find a few more clips in our video display on the homepage.

One final word. Apparently some gamers have complained that Gemma Arterton is not attractive enough for the role of Princess Tamina, from which I can only conclude that their eyesight and judgement have been irreparably damaged by staring at an animation for way too long. They couldn't be more wrong. She is breathtakingly perfect for the role.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time hits cinemas from 27 May.

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