Prince of Persia (2010)

Rating: 3/5

Was 'forced' to see at the cinema yesterday with my sis. After much hype and expectation, together with the enticing ensemble cast, I had been looking forward to seeing this. But after glimpsing Empire's 3-Star Review, reading through the article, I had been less inclined to see, rather preferring to wait for it's release on a more portable, acessible medium (DVD or Blu-Ray) whenever that would be, if at all...

Having seen it for myself, I entirely agree with the verdict - much to the dismay of my sister, who couldn't be muted extolling the praise of Jake Gyllenhall's abs and his recently acquired Parkour faculties.

The opening sequence was pretty damn awesome: a combiination of the opening of Casino Royale, and Disney's 1994 animation Aladdin! There was also an obvious nod to the original game (which I was a fan of upon it's release) with a particular sequence of Dastan breaching and securing the East Wing of a Holy City panning a top-down vertical view camera following/whizzing to Dastan's view - certain to gratify gaming fans. Two ticks off the Director's checklist. But I'm afraid that's about all that I enjoyed about the movie.

All the promise of the rather spectacular action-packed opening, and the premise of an adopted orphan boy's potential story fizzles out, and is stretched out disappointingly to meet the alotted production time.

That the invading army's general/leader forces upon himself to join with the enemy's beautiful princess as 'more than friendship' is a marriage of convenience. I thought this an apt metaphor for the whole movie. Jerry Bruckhiemer's temporary marriage with Disney sucessfully blend ridiculous plot points, implausible characters and dramatic narratives with a pre-fabricated idea (The Prince of Persia franchise) and a blockbuster budget (the over-elaborate and unececessary CGI).

For all the central focus and aesthetic of Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton - who certainly look good together - it seems that a universe of shallow fantasy has been constructed in an attempt to support it.

The majority of the action sequences post the opening, seem comprehensively confused. It's a cross between Batman Begins, Bourne, and Gladiator. I think that applies to the whole movie too. It doesn't know what it wants to be, or rather has no confidence or clear definition of it's identity. The first of the Pirates of the Carribbean movies was a fun formulaic affair, defined by the comedically embellished performance of Johnny Depp. Prince of Persia is blockbuster-formulaic in approach, but only for the budget spent on effects and nabbing big names (Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley) who lend no real authority or credibility to their characters and their storylines.

Suffers from the Deus ex machina. There's also a deliberately affected political dimension to the movie, potentially highly contentious. Comparisons with the invasion of Iraq for Weapons of Mass destruction abound, as does the Democratising of 'foreign' lands in Molina's: "You know the real evil present in our lands? Taxes!" It's funny how all the Arab and Persian people are played by white Westerners, much like in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Certainly a novelty, if not very rewarding to watch. Silly action junkie kids would love it, as well as Gyllenhall fans eager to see more flesh than mind. Well beneath Gyllenhalls calibre in my view.

I would have certainly wanted to see more parkour work on exhibition (perhaps like knife-fighting in Hunted) which appears to have been wasted for this movie save for a few choice set-pieces. I would have liked to have seen a higher certificate rating for older kids to see: thereby adding a real sense of danger, of something scintillatingly malicious and evil posing a real threat to the protagonists rather than they're seeming and comic invulnerability and omnipresence - to adhere more to the spirit and ideals of the original game.

Alternatively, for more kid-orientated blockbuster potential, at least something that was handled with more confidence, more character, more drama, and more balance for what seems to be a mishandled conflation of all the popular trends of recent cinema. With dialogue, there could have been something more teasing, challenging and daring (like Han and Leia) rather than the atypical beautiful damsel in distress being saved by a clunky hunk, save for a few prolonged and annoying deceptions here and there.

If you're up for an unchallenging no-brainer spectacle, this is for you right next to Clash of the Titans: the rehash. If you care anything for the integrity and dignity of cinema, you'd probabbly do well to leave it well alone. A disappointing first instalment unlikely to ignite the ashes of The Chronicles of Narnia.