Prince of Persia Review Part 2: A Gamer’s Perspective

I was skeptical when I first heard that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was being turned into a movie. Why shouldn’t I be? As a fellow gamer, I along with others in the gaming community have seen what Hollywood does with video-game adaptations. Need a reminder? Let me just name some of the atrocities that hit the big screens: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Max Payne, Hitman, Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction, Postal, Dead or Alive, Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne, Doom, Tomb Raider, House of the Dead, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Street Fighter, Double Dragon, and Super Mario Bros just to name a few.

Out of all those movies the original Mortal Kombat, which was released in the summer of 1995, had the highest Rotten Tomatoes average score of 35%. That’s just terrible. Not only were these movies terribly made, they didn’t implement elements from the games well. Gone where the essential aspects that caused them to be special in the first place and in its place was a quick cash-in film.

So why was the idea of Prince of Persia being made into a film angering me? It was one of the first games I played back on the Sega Genesis. My cousin had bought me the original Prince of Persia as a gift. I put endless hours into saving the princess being held captive by the evil vizier Jaffar. Years later my brother and sister bought me a Gamecube and a copy of developer Ubisoft’s new Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The series that used to be a simple side-scrolling game had turned into a complex and beautiful world. Following the tale of a new Prince, the innovative gameplay, control of time, and story gripped audiences, causing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to become critically acclaimed across the gaming community.

What was I worried about before the movie reel started to flicker its images on the giant theater screen in front of me? The Sands of Time carried many important elements that made the series special. You cannot have Prince of Persia without climbing, acrobatics, and fights. The Prince’s agility and dexterity are key characteristics to who he is. Also the Prince’s relationship to the Princess was unique. They tend to bicker and hate each other for majority of the game before realizing what they feel for each other. Would it be incorporated properly? The Prince also spent majority of the game by himself. With the entire kingdom turned into monsters when the Sands of Time were unleashed the Prince narrated most of the story as the game progressed. How would the film handle the story? If they fumbled the narrative the movie could easily become a flop.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time impressed me. It truly did. Not only did director Mike Newell and producer Jerry Bruckheimer deliver a solid film, they incorporated and captured the essence of the game really well. There were drastic changes to the story, but the major plot points remained the same. The Dagger of Time, Sands of Time, the villain, the role of the princess, and the resolution all were borrowed from the game. Instead of being the only son of the King as in the game, the Prince was an orphan adopted by the King of Persia after he impressed him with his character in the streets of Persia as a child.

Also gone are the sand monsters that were the major opposition to the Prince in the videogame. With the release of the Sands of Time the humans in the surrounding areas would be transformed into terrifying creatures. In the movie such was not the case. The only opposition the Prince came across were a group of Hassansins, deadly skilled assassins, hired by the film’s villain to retrieve the Dagger of Time from Prince Dastan. This set up for some of the movies better action sequences set throughout the film.

One of the biggest concerns from the community happened to come from the casting of Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, the hero of the movie. The outcry of whitewashing, filling ethnic roles with white actors, was a major concern. Sadly Gyllenhaal cannot pull off a Persian accent, but neither could anyone else in the film. It felt more like royalty out of Lord of the Rings rather than a Persian nation. For me the accents did not affect my experience, but for purists it could hurt.

Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) and the Prince’s relationship throughout the film felt right at home with the game. All they did was bicker, insult each other, and try to outplay the other. I loved it. It felt straight out of the game.

The action scenes were handled well. Gyllenhaal ran, jumped, and climbed like the Prince should. Wall running, flips, and acrobatic takedowns, all trademark moves of the Prince, also had their appearance. A surprising addition was a gameplay element that developers Ubisoft used to show players the path to take in-game. A floaty camera would highlight the path the Prince would need to take or a task that needed to be accomplished to advance in the game. The movie used this element a few times throughout. It was unexpected, but a nice addition nonetheless.

I can easily say Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the best videogame movie made to date. Okay that’s not saying much…. Director Mike Newell ‘s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a fun time at the theaters. The movie was walking a thin line in the beginning of whether it would truly suck or not. Luckily, as the movie progresses the plot develops nicely allowing for a worthwhile experience at the theater.  I believe Prince of Persia has enough potential to become the next Pirates of the Caribbean if the studio plans to continue the trilogy. Whether you’re a fan of the games or another movie-goer, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has something for everyone.

Final Grade: B

Don’t forget to read Part 1 of our Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time review from a non-Gamer perspective: An Action Packed Journey by Allison Toner.

Photos by Jonathan Prime & Andrew Cooper, SMPSP – Courtesy © Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc.