Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Number Rolled: 36

Movie Name/Year: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Length: 116 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Director: Mike Newell

Writer: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner

Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup, Reece Ritchie

Video game movies are a dime a dozen and work a bit like mine fields. There’s a lot to take into account when making one – especially one as popular as Prince of Persia. Video games take weeks to beat. Many gamers become obsessed with their favorite games, finding all the little secrets and nuances that casual players would miss. The fans of games such as this are more than a little picky about how that obsession is portrayed. It’s the same as book fans trying to watch a movie based on their favorite books. You should see me try and watch the third Harry Potter movie. The smallest mistake is like Armageddon on screen (not the movie, the event). Because gamers are such an observant lot, movies out of video games are risky.

I will admit that I’m not familiar enough with this particular game to be able to judge the movie from that perspective. So forgive me, gamers, if my opinion deviates from what it would be as a fan.

That being said, I absolutely adore this movie. One of the best parts, in my opinion, is Jake Gyllanhaal’s performance. Just about all research on this movie brings with it the knowledge that Jake is a fervent fan of the games, and played constantly in order to prepare for his part. I do believe it paid off. Even if a true fan of the game could point out the flaws, he certainly seemed to love playing the part. When an actor loves playing a part, you can tell, he just somehow seems to play it better.

The storyline itself is amazing, but that’s not surprising as those who’ve played the game will say the same. All in all? It’s a movie I would definitely recommend watching, to anyone who likes a good fantasy.

Overall Opinion – 5/5