Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

written by: SAH

I went to see Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time yesterday as a matinee. The reviews have not been great, but I've grown tired of IMDB and RottenTomatoes telling me what I should think about a movie before I've seen it. "Professional" reviewers are notorious for being unable to take genre and audience into consideration when reviewing a movie, which is why they are often as accurate as weathermen. I like movies. I like going to movies. So I went.

It was entertaining. Fluffy, as you might expect from the previews and its video game origins, but certainly better than the average video game movie; worth a matinee (or rental), but not full price. If you liked what you saw in the preview, that is exactly what the movie has to offer so you shouldn't be disappointed.

The one thing I thought I'd be able to ignore was the only thing that really bugged me: There was a dearth of Persians in Persia. Of course I knew about Gyllenhaal, but I figured they would cast the rest of the movie a bit more accurately. Not really. I find it hard to believe there aren't a handful of sufficiently talented Middle-Easterners in Hollywood. Oh well.

The action was good. The plot predictable, but acceptable given the genre (actually quite good given the genre) and the performances were fine (with the exception of Alfred Molina's Shiek Amar, who I found more annoying than anything else. Then again, that is clearly what his character was supposed to be.

The movie actually made me want to play the game.

If you need a movie fix and you want to be entertained, this should do.

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