Disney/Buena Vista | 2010 | 116 mins. | PG-13
Based on a 2003 Ubisoft video game, Prince of Persia presents adequate performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and the rest of the cast, expert special effects and a fast pace, but in the end, this is a movie that fails to leave much of an impression. Before Persia was released, Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer were doing everything they could to remind moviegoers they were responsible for Pirates of the Caribbean, in hopes some of that fan base would be driven to come out to the multiplex. Given its estimated budget of $150-$200 and an estimated worldwide box office gross of $335,147,676, Prince of Persia is considered a disappointment.
Dastan (Gyllenhaal) was orphaned as a child and grew up on the streets in the shadows of the king’s palace. One day in the market the king witnesses a feat of courage from Dastan and ends up adopting the young kid as his own. He brings him into the palace, where Dastan grows up like royalty, even leading his own part of the king’s army. After he and his brothers conquer a holy city under suspicion of trading weapons with their enemies, the king is killed in what looks like an assassination at Dastan’s hands — a situation heightened by the panic of the king’s shifty brother Nizam (Ben Kingsley) and the other two princes. Dastan hastily flees, along with the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), with an ornate dagger tucked in his sash, discovered on the battlefield.
From there, we’re given a rather forgettable scenario that allows Dastan and Tamina move across impressive sets, clank swords and allow Gyllenhaal plenty of opportunities to show off his chiseled physique. Those expecting constant action will be disappointed, as it really only comes in bursts, and much like the film, never really gets on secure footing.
Clearly, casting hinged on individual talent and sex appeal. The pair of Jake Gyllenhaal and Quantum of Solace’s Gemma Arterton share very little chemistry taking meek stabs at playfulness. Gyllenhaal’s beefed-up physique and oily scruff looks the part as he charismatically fleshes out the Prince, while Arterton’s beauty stuns as a bronzed, exotic cleric with a destiny-driven poise. But when their off-the-cuff banter kicks into gear, exchanging between lukewarm, British-accented discussions about the dagger’s importance and their nitpicking on each other’s status as arrogant royalty, it doesn’t convince us of a romantic link, allowing that part of the fantasy tale to fall flat. Thankfully, Alfred Molina intermittently pops in to perk up their deadweight connection as a skeevy ostrich-racing kingpin, Shiek Amar.
Despite its faults, Prince of Persia manages to maintain a solid pace. Director Mike Newell (prepped for such a large spectacle by helming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) makes sure to keep a narrow, human focus on high-energy bursts. If there were stronger characters to sustain that attention, he might have had a truly memorable film. The story’s barely-coded indictment of more recent goings-on near modern-day Persia, i.e. Iraq (using a non-existent weapons threat to mine a natural resource) doesn’t help matters.
So, while I wouldn’t say Prince of Persia is a terrible film, it’s not particularly memorable either. It doesn’t bring up any of the excitement created by the Pirates of the Caribbean series and I can’t say I’m really waiting for a sequel.
Preserving the 2.4:1 aspect ratio within an AVC encode, the luxurious gold palette looks great. We get extremely well-defined detail and rich contrast. A few instances showcase a heavier level of grain, mostly in the desert shots, but the level of detail present in Tamina’s costume/body paint, the dagger, and the computer-generated effects all appear with a crispness that’s breathtaking.
The DTS HD Master track is very active. Boisterous activity barrels from the speakers at several points, from the light roaring of the crown in the holy city to the dust spiraling amid desert tornadoes. There are a few moments where the dialogue feels parsed, which makes a few bursts of dialogue feel artificial. Aside from that, this will stick out as one of the punchier, forceful high-definition sound renderings to hit the streets this year.
There’s not too much in the way of special features. We get an interactive CineExplore: The Sands of Time feature that plays alongside the film, making several one to three-minute bits of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews available with relevant sequences. They cover Jake Gyllenhaal’s extensive training, filming on location in Morocco, making Gemma Arterton look exotic, as well as other stunt-specific content. With the push of the button, the dagger on the screen “activates”, rewinds with the and zips over to the content. For those that don’t want to deal with that hassle, all of the bits are available in a static gray-backed “Index” menu by pushing the Pop-Up Menu button.
We also get one, Deleted Scene (1:26, HD).
This pack also includes the Standard DVD and a Digital Copy.
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