Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

If only. If only the script had been more clever, more sure of itself. If only the film boasted better special effects. (A big surprise, considering this movie was originally set to be released last summer, but was pushed back to 2010. It's not like the filmmakers were rushed.) If only Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time were tighter in pacing and plot, we'd be looking at the surefire blockbuster the Disney studio obviously wants it to be. As it stands, this is a watchable but middling film that never quite comes to life like it should.

The film's ad campaign is trying hard to drum up memories of the studio's Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. It's not surprising. Both Pirates and Prince are old-fashioned swashbuckling adventures infused with modern day effects. They also both share Jerry Bruckheimer as head producer. That's where the similarities end. There is no character who stands out and grabs the audience, like Johnny Depp's off-beat Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirate films. Instead, we get Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular Prince Dastan. Don't get me wrong, he's a very talented actor, and he certainly looks the part with a perfectly sculpted new body that must have required a lot of physical preparation before the cameras started rolling. But as a character, Dastan is as dull as they come. He's fit and athletic, but comes up dry in the personality department. And whenever he's around his romantic female lead, the sparks never fly. He seems timid, almost as if he's afraid to even hold her hand, let alone kiss her.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. When the film kicks off, Dastan is only a small boy living on the streets, and isn't even a Prince yet. He has no family, but he does have an unnatural athletic ability for a 10-year-old which allows him to climb up walls like a monkey, and leap across rooftops. (All with the aid of questionable CG and effects, of course.) The good Kind of Persia, Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) sees the boy in action, and decides to adopt him on the spot. Dastan is welcomed into the royal family, where the king already has two sons, the noble Tus (Richard Coyle) and the hot-headed Garsiv (Tony Kebbell). There's another person living at the castle too, the king's brother and most trusted adviser, Nizam (Ben Kingsley). He keeps to himself during the first half of the movie, standing in the background, dressed in dark clothes and wearing black eyeliner. This naturally means he will play a bigger role later on. It couldn't be more obvious what role he will play in the second and third act if he had a big sign hanging over him the entire time saying, "Hi, I'm the real villain! Don't tell anyone, okay??"

Flash forward to 15 years later. With Dastan's help, the Persian army is able to invade a holy kingdom, and kidnap its Princess, the lovely Tamina (Gemma Arterton from the recent Clash of the Titans). It's believed that the kingdom is selling weapons to Persia's enemies, but Dastan and a few others have their doubts. The invasion is a success nonetheless, and just as the celebration is about to begin, Sharaman is murdered, with Dastan the most likely suspect. He escapes with the help of Tamina, and together, they figure out the real reason behind the invasion campaign. There's a mythical dagger that's a treasure of the holy kingdom, because it holds the ability to turn back time. Whoever possesses it could change history and the very royal family of Persia itself. Dastan and Tamina travel the desert, meet up with some bandits led by a character who will become the comic relief sidekick (Alfred Molina), and try to clear Dastan's name while also protecting the sacred dagger.

While the film's main source of inspiration comes from a classic video game series, you could also argue that Prince of Persia borrows quite heavily from a number of other sources, including the Indiana Jones films and The Mummy series with Brendan Fraser. However, it misses the mark when it comes to copying what made those films work with audiences. The witty love/hate banter between Dastan and Tamina is never sharp enough, or funny enough. The action also never quite thrills like it should. There's a sluggish quality to the film. It's not enough to grind the film to a halt or make it boring, but it still seems to be dragging its feet when it should be lively and exciting. The characters lack the spark to allow them to be memorable, and we never feel the rush we should feel when their lives are in danger. The character that comes the closest to working is Molina's character. He gets off a couple good one liners. But it's not enough.

At least the movie doesn't wear out its welcome, running just under two hours. Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) doesn't fully grab our attention, but he at least manages to keep things moving. There's a big sequence about every 15 minutes or so. Of course, this also means the script and the characters never quite get developed enough. It's never explained why the magical dagger can only transport the user back in time, and not forward. You'd think someone would at least ask if they could travel forward in time, but no one does. I do wish Newell had given the film a sharper look, however. As mentioned before, the effects are passable at best, but they seem somewhat dated and never quite convincing. With the talent this film was able to draw, you'd think they would sink a little more money into the effects, especially since they play a crucial part in this film.

All things aside, Prince of Persia is pleasant enough, but it still falls below the mark we expect in a big summer blockbuster. You can see all the right stuff up there on the screen to make a thrilling piece of summer escapism, but it never comes together like it should. We're left with a lot of potential, some half-baked CG effects, and an overall sense that this should have been more fun than it is. Considering what some theaters are charging for ticket prices, audiences deserve more.

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