Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time : Movie Review



Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’s story hinges on a dagger that can rewind time, a narrative conceit that doubles as a taunt to those who endure this cacophonous, frivolous adaptation of Ubisoft’s Arabian Nights–themed video-game series. Bruckheimered to the hilt with the same rollicking period-piece cheesiness that typified the producer’s (and studio Disney’s) Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, this latest summer spectacle—helmed unimaginatively by Mike Newell—concerns Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a buff, wannabe-rebellious hunk whose princely status comes not from a royal bloodline but via adoption, picked off the streets by a noble king (Ronald Pickup) who saw courage in the then-young scamp. Populated by strangely accented Americans and Brits posing as Middle Easterners, this origin story thoroughly recalls the Mouse House’s Aladdin, to the point that one half-expects Robin Williams to suddenly appear on the soundtrack and begin maniacally crooning about Agrabah.

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Author : Nick Schager