Movie Review - PRINCE OF PERSIA: The Sands of Time

This is one of the rare times my chosen movie has not been a horror flick.  I chose this film because of the previews, and the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal looks scrumptuous.

Basic premise - Dastan is an orphan boy who is adopted by the current King of Persia, and raised along with his other two sons.  Fifteen years later, Dastan has grown to be a worthy warrior.  And when he and his brothers are sent to a country to overthrow it and gain the "riches and weapons" their spies have said it contains, Dastan is the first to breach the city's walls and allow the Persian troops to overcome the inhabitants.

However, Dastan soon realizes that he has been set up, and there are no riches or weapons. Worse, the person behind the deception is someone he has come to trust and love.

Every second of this movie is a visual feast.  Sadly, the director tried to make it into the video game it was derived from, and that's where the movie suffered the most.  The best scenes are the non-confrontational ones.  Yes, the fight scenes are exquisite and rich with CGI, but they soon become too complicated and difficult to follow (and swallow).

On the other hand, Harry Gregson-Williams's score is a masterful triumph, and I immediately went to purchase it.  (More on Mr. H G-W at a later date.)

Still, despite its overblown grandiose designs, this movie is worth a Saturday afternoon rental, AND it's safe for children over 13.  (Hey, it's a Disney film!)  Which is why I give this movie a :