Prince of Persia Movie Review

I was finally able to catch the movie Prince of Persia last weekend.  And oh men, movies at Greenbelt, Makati were so jampacked last Saturday.  Would you believe we arrived at 7pm and were already queueing at the movie ticket section?  When it was our turn, all 5 theaters were fully booked.  Only the last full show had open slots & there were like less than 10 slots left!  So we bought tickets for the 11PM showing.  After dinner, Jen & I spent time roaming around greenbelt 3 & 5.

You know I was about to ask if we could watch another movie.  Just glad we ended up with Prince of Persia.  I was in total awe after the movie.  I was like, WOW!  It was done perfectly.  As a viewer, I couldn’t think of anything to make the movie better or even think of anything to criticize it for.

Prince of Persia is based on the video game of the same title, and actually the video games are a trilogy with some cinematic appeal as well.  I’ve never played any of those Prince of Persia video games, but I’m thinking that those games must have been some great games too.

The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina & Gemma Arterton (remember the girl I said before that was too pretty in Clash of the Titans? that’s her).

Jake plays an orphan named Dastan, who was adopted by the King of Persia after showing great courage in the marketplace.  The king really treated him as his own son.  A few years later, all grown up, Dastan together with his foster brothers attacked the city of Alamut because they had learned that the city was illegally providing weapons to their enemies.  The attack on the city was eventually successful and princess Tamina of the city of Alamut was captured along with a dagger that would eventually be the centerpiece of this story.  Tamina was offered to be the wife of Dastan’s oldest brother, Tus, thus making the city of Alamut as part of the Persian empire.

During the celebration, Dastan was fooled into presenting a poisoned gown to the king.  The king died as he was burned to death when he wore the gown, and it was Dastan who was blamed and accused of killing his father.  Dastan manages to escape with Princess Tamina along with the dagger.  The pair however come in conflict as they have different motives in their escape.  Dastan just wants to prove his innocence in the death of his father, the king.  And Princess Tamina has the duty of guarding the dagger.

If you’re looking for some great movie action with some great sword fights, and even a little romance between the leading characters, as well as some great movie effect, then you will really love this movie.  What’s also important with Prince of Persia the movie is that although it may have been based on the video games, you need not even have played or even know a single thing about the video games to truly appreciate this movie.  They did a great job in making the movie able to stand by itself just as a movie and not having to strictly follow the video game structure at all.

I was definitely glued to the screen all throughout the movie & it was actually a first that I didn’t even glance at my watch for even one bit.  The great parts of the movie include what the dagger is capable of doing, who the real villain is in the movie, the love story of Dastan & princess Tamina, the genuine love & trust between brothers, loyal friendship between Dastan & his best friend & the overall flow of the story.

Now, I will reveal the importance of the dagger, which is really the great and centerpiece of the movie.  With the dagger, the holder can travel back in time and change the past.  But the dagger is not only used for time travel, but it is also the only thing that can pierce the sandglass which is located underneath the city of Alamut, if the sandglass is pierced it will unleash the Sands of Time which will mean the end of the world.

The plot is complete, unpredictable & overall entertaining.  I came out of the movie happy & very very satisfied.  While the movie is still out, I suggest you go watch it.  Prince of Persia is a movie you cannot miss!  For the guys, I think the action in the movie is just outstanding, the pace of the movie is just enough to keep you engrossed in the film.  And for the girls, you’ll love Jake Gyllenhaal.  He was too cute!  I actually didn’t think he was cute before but after watching Prince of Persia, I’m now a convert!  Jake’s hot, hot & hot!! 😀

This movie really does have it all, with a cute leading man, a pretty leading lady, great movie effects, an original plot and storyline gives the viewer one of the best movie experiences I’ve had in a long while.  Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s based on a video game, because this movie stands perfectly by itself.  It’s a definite must-see!!

My Rating for Prince of Persia: 5 out of 5 stars.