Had the misfortune of watching Prince of Persia the other day. Good premise but I'm afraid the film was dire. One of the few redeeming features was seeing Jake Gyllenhaal beefed up!

Prince of Persia was an immensely enjoyable movie. The film, from start to finish, is filled with well-choreographed sword-fighting action, fantastic special effects, sweepingly exotic scenery, lavish production design. I also really like the way the director chose to open and close the film with the same shot and subtitles. Best of all, the story is good and well-constructed. Just because this movie is based on the game , that doesn't mean everything in the movie needs to be exact just like in the game.

But in short, if you want to take a little escape from reality, go back in time to "Prince of Persia" and enjoy. "Prince Of Persia" ----- it's fun to watch and enjoyable, and where intelligence doesn't really matter.

Syeda.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Action/Adventure/Video Game)

Basic premise: A Persian prince (Gyllenhaal) wrongly accused of murder must clear his name and team up with a rival princess (Arterton) to stop a magical sandstorm from destroying the world.

Main cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina

What I wanted out of the film: As a fan of the game I wanted action, a little bit of a love story and a whole lot of magic and special effects.

My rating: 4 Stars; I’m not afraid to admit that I actually really enjoyed this movie. Was it the best movie I’ve seen this year? No! Did it entertain me for two hours? Yes! On that basis alone I will probably watch it again with friends. Gyllenhaal was surprisingly quite good in the role (as I was expecting very little from him in a ‘british’ role) and his action sequences were both realistic and at times quite fantastical. To me, Arterton is gorgeous, I love everything about her: her accent, her body, her lovely pouty lips… okay you get the point. Yes she is not the most typically beautiful woman on earth, but she pulled it off and managed to also kick butt whilst doing so! The special effects were seamless and slick (nothing too new or outrageous) and added to the magical mysterious element of the film. I did however have an issue with the beginning of the film because it was basically Aladdin minus the music (by basically I mean exactly) but it really wasn’t that big a deal. I have to say, however, that whilst Ben Kingsley is a formidable actor, Alfred Molina steals the spot as best supporting cast member as he provides most of the comic relief in the movie and refers to issues that are as pertinent today as they were hundreds of years ago.

Target audience/rating: Action-heads and fantasy film lovers/ 3.5-4 Stars

You’ll like this if you liked: Clash of the Titans, Epic adventure movies

Hmmmm......2 and a half stars....

Definitely not the worst movie I have ever seen...but this movie just goes through the motions of "action-adventure-romance" without being anything spectacular. A few scenes and props looked straight out of a Hollywood movie set, which never endears me, but the chemistry between the Prince and the Princess was quite good and believable. Actually, the romance part kind of redeems the film.

Probably a good one for kids, but I'm a bit more discerning and expect better. Compared to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, for example, Percy wins hands down.

A thoroughly enjoyable outing with the kids (Aged 7,9 and 12). Lots of exciting action scenes but nothing graphic to scare the little guy. There is enough of a storyline to keep adults interested. Enjoyable characters (even the bad guys you loved to hate) and a feel good finish. Recommended for anyone with a sense of adventure - kind of an Indiana Jones experience.