Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [DVD]

Awesome storyline and acting...........always fun to watch no matter how many times I see it............

Favorite movie. Very funny. Not really kid appropriate in our view that is. Lots of different Eddie Murphy characters. Def a funny must watch if you’ve not seen it!

This action-adventure fantasy about ancient Persia grabs you by the throat from the beginning and never lets go. Its intriguing plot has little to no factual basis but is culturally appropriate for Persia at that time. The fact that Prince Dastan isn't technically a prince by blood provides an interesting twist to how he relates to his brothers and his adoptive father. The bad guy in the movie is hard to spot until near the end, which makes for wicked good scripting. Jake Gyllenhaal trained for months for his starring role and did most of his stunts, which made his role as Prince Dastan even more stunning. His enemy-to-friends relationship with the foreign Princess of Alamut is intertwined with one of the spoils from conquering her kingdom--an unexpected relic that becomes an ultimate power struggle. Great plot twists; magnificent cinematography and acting.

I'm not sure why this film was so vilified. If you recognize that it's a Disney movie and a sand and sandal fantasy, you pretty much know what to expect. It's not hugely different from the Mummy films in disregard for historic or cultural accuracy, is just as humorous and anachronistic and even more opulent and visually gorgeous. Maybe it needed to also be a monster film to be accepted? For whatever reason it was hated, I have to say that it's really quite enjoyable on the terms in which it was intended: a modern version of the sort of Sindbad/Sabu movies from the 60s and 70s. Jake Gyllenhaal is so likeable as an actor that his thief-turned-prince is engaging regardless of setting. Gemma Arerton's character is initially as stiff as a board, then a stereotypic haughty priestess and most of the time the actress doesn't rise above the script but she does occasionally make a good impression. She has reasonable chemistry with Gyllenhaal and the banter between the two works just fine in service to the story. The time-slip gimmick, I presume from the video games which I admit I have never played, is interesting and well explored and the entire plot moves along smoothly and ties up well. It's a hundred times better than, say Scorpion King, no more fantastic than any other crazy artifact film (Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull for instance), and it moves through the paces deftly without falling apart or losing track of the story it wants to tell. Supporting cast are excellent. So. Gone into with the correct expectations, there's really nothing wrong with this film. It's all about updating Sinbad for the new generation and anyone who's seen those movies knows it's not about realistic situations and Academy Award level acting. It's a big shiny bauble of a story that sounds like Aladdin and looks like a theme park's version of royal Morocco.

Great movie.

As a personal rule of thumb, I tend to stay away from any movies (cartoons excluded) made by Disney. Or any movies based on computer games. Why? From experience, they tend to be very disappointing and boring. They tend to be "dumbed down" versions of real life situations. However, I'm glad to be proven wrong this time where Prince of Persia is concerned. It is a very entertaining movie and my entire family enjoyed watching it from beginning to end. The special effects are also wonderful, e.g. when the magical dagger is activated, it seems very realistic and is comparable to the "Back to the future" series where time travel is concerned. Just think of this as a medieval version of time travel. Another example of wonderful special effects is the view of the holy city. It was so wonderfully and realistically rendered in BLu-Ray that one of my family members actually thought that such a city existed in real life! Storywise, I'll refrain from any spoilers. Suffice to say that this is one of those "the butler did it" kind of movie. I kinda guessed who the "bad guy" would be the moment he first appeared in the movie, just like in "Angels and Demons". ;) The casting director did a good job here as all the actors and actresses had a perfect fit for all their respective roles. None of the actors/actresses ever appeared to be out of place in their roles. There are also sufficient twists and turns (both literally and figuratively) in the storyline and plenty of action to keep you and your family glued to your seats for the entire movie. This is one of those movies which deserves 5 POPCORNS out of 5!!! P.S. This movie is based on a computer game and it would be remiss of me to not add any comments about that. Well, the lead actor does jump and climb alot as in the computer game but anyone who has not played the computer game before would still enjoy watching this movie. It does not take away (nor add) anything from the overall visual experience.

I love action and adventure films and this is as good as the best in this genre. It is fun, exciting, the sets are amazing, the parkour fantastic and most of all Jake Gyllenhal is soooo hot. He is one of my favorite actors, very skillful and normally in deeper more serious roles, so it is clear this one was easy for him. He looks so fit, muscled and lean in this movie and best of all you can tell that he just had a blast making it. In fact everything about this movie screams fun. Clearly, aside from the extras marching in the 125 degree Moroccan desert heat, it appears that everyone involved was caught up in the magic of a wonderful tale wonderfully done. It is not deep but it has a good message, and while there is a lovely romantic story it is not the only story of love. Familial love and love of one's country and culture are also important. The special effects are good too and used sparingly as needed so this is not a CGI movie. In fact the fact that Jake did most of his stunts and Gemma did a lot of hers and that they didn't CGI the parkour makes it a lot better to watch. I really don't like movies where they have to hide the actors face all the time to cover up the stunt double or where the actor leaps from a building and becomes a cartoon character. This has a great story, gorgeous costumes and sets and an excellent cast. Ben Kingsley is a superb actor, slightly wasted in a limited role, but still an asset. I highly recommend this film, it is very enjoyable to watch and will be one of a select few that I watch more than once. I would go into more detail about the film but I feel this is one that was so much fun to watch not knowing anything about the story. Give it a chance you won't be disappointed.

Loved it worth the money