The Prince of Persia: The sands of Time, adapted from a video game created by Jordan Mechner, is an action-packed joyride through the desert, chock full of gladiator-style fight scenes and a treacherous plot that leaves a ruler dead and a son on the run.
The film leads with a young orphan running through sixth-century Persia reeking havoc while catching the eye of the venerable King of Persia, who intrigued by the young boy’s prowess, adopts him.
Once grown, the orphan-turned Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), leads the Persian army in an attack on the sacred city Alamut and its Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). But celebration of his victory is short lived when his father the King is murdered and the rogue prince is blamed.
Dastan sets out to clear his name with the beguiling princess in tow and her ancient dagger filled with mystical sand that can turn back time.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Ronald Pickup as Prince Dastan and King Sharaman
But who better to dish on this action-packed movie, adapted from a video game than gamers. Recently, The Chic Spy caught up with gamers Barbaros Sarisozen and David Semmelmayer to discuss the film and get their opinion on how it fared compared to the game.
The Chic Spy: How long have you played the video game and what level have you reached?
Barbaros Sarisozen: I am a big fan of the game. There are many sequels to the game and Sands of Time was only one of them. I finished Sands of Time and all 5 of 7 games including SOT for the PC. There is a new one coming out soon called The Forgotten Sands, this summer. Looking forward to that.
David Semmelmayer: I played the game all the way through (8-10 hours for me at that time), though I am a bit hazy recalling every bit since I played it 5 years ago.
TCS: What did you like most about the movie?
BS: I really liked the prop designs. The dagger of time and prince’s clothes looked great. They were nicely influenced by the game. Jake Gyllenhaal also was a good fit for the character I believe.
DS: What I liked most about the movie was the humor and subtle banter between the prince and princess. While it was not exactly what I remember from the game, the subtlety of the romance with its limited physical interaction and the verbal sparring were quite enjoyable.
TCS: What did you like least about the movie?
BS: Even though the jokes in the movie were toned down I still feel that there were times that it was too intense. The part with the ostriches were funny but did not fit the plot of the movie at all.
DS: I like the quickness of the action sequences the least. It felt like the CGI was rushed and I often lost Jake Gyllenhall in props, blur effects, and other things used to make the stunts believable. So while the movie paid homage to the game, the actual action sequences that played to the game felt rushed and out of control. The whole point of the game was mastering the control of those unbelievable actions.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton as Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina
TCS: Do you feel the movie was a good comparison to the video game? Why or why not?
BS: Generally no. The movie was fun to watch as a usual action movie but it definitely wasn’t a good comparison to the movie. The character of the princess was off. In the game, the princess was an athletic girl who was able to use a bow and arrow and was really brave. The princess in the movie was more like a usual princess who was not used to being in bad situations. The plot of the game and movie were quite different.
In the game the prince unleashes the power of the sands of time at the start of the game which turns everyone into a sand monster. Then the prince tries to reverse everything back to normal. In the movie the villain tries to unleash the power of the sands of time which does not turn anyone into monsters but kills everyone, and the prince tries to stop this from happening. Some interesting monsters would have been good in the movie I think. Also the game was mostly about the prince passing through lots of trap mechanisms, which they did not include in almost any of the movie.
DS: The movie did a decent job of representing the game, but still came up short on storytelling and presentation. While the game did have different needs as interactive media, the movie made the sand more important as an action movie superweapon than as a mysterious force with a personal effect on Dastan and his world.
The sand became just like the ring in Lord of the Rings, an important dastardly factor, rather than the primary shaper of the environment and the protagonist’s abilities as seen in the game. The movie conveyed the world of the Prince of Persia game to audiences well, but didn’t do a good enough job of getting to interactions it created. It was just a backdrop for a predictable plot filled with archetypes.
TCS: Which was better, the movie or the game, and why?
BS: Of course the game was better because not only the story and the full concept was made for the game but also the action suit the plot better in the game. The movie felt just like a usual mindless action movie for a family. I feel that movies made from games are almost always a failure.
DS: The game was better. Partially for the reasons listed above, but also partially because the story itself was more compelling in the game. The omniscient narrator in the game made the story take a different shape than the movie and that provided a depth to the prince that the movie lacked. You got the feeling while playing the game that the prince had grown since the end of his story and that you were playing through his adventure to learn the great lesson at the end.
In the movie, the audience has to grow with the prince without much knowledge about the greater message other than that it will likely fit the usual Hollywood blockbuster themes. This made it both predictable and less involving. While the gamers knew there was a drastic turn coming where the sand was no longer cool, but corrupting and dangerous, the events that led to the prince’s tone while telling the story always made it necessary to play the next chapter. The movie is simple rising and falling action.
TCS: Would you recommend this film to others and how does it rate?
BS: I would recommend it if they haven’t played the game and just want a summer entertainment. I would give it 6 stars.
DS: Despite my criticisms, yes. The movie is a fun romp into an interesting world. Maybe it would encourage some people to play the game, but even just being introduced to the storyline and concepts developed seems worthwhile to me. I would give it a 3.
It falls far short of being a great movie or even a noteworthy movie. But it accomplishes the feat of being entertaining and using video game concepts (like flashing ahead to necessary game mechanics in a puzzle using camera angles) in a non-interactive medium. Even though this point of view is not particularly novel for films, it is the relation to gamers in showing them something that they had done, appear on the big screen that seems extra appealing. It is akin to seeing your hometown locales on the big screen. It is familiar and you have a sense of ownership about what is being shared with the world.
Release: May 28
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint
Directing: Mike Newell
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.
