Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

• Released Internationally on 19/05/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 21/05/10

Preview (Published 01/05/10 in VIDA magazine)

In a nutshell

Before Facebook, before Google, before we even had internet access, there was Prince of Persia. Released back in 1989, and incredibly simple by today’s standards, it was one of the computer games that defined the 90s, and I for one clearly remember my long afternoons jumping over spikes and sword fighting with the fat guy in level six. Since a famous brand is often all it takes to make a film nowadays, it has been developed into one of this summer’s big action films.

Why we’re hyped

I’m usually the first to argue that computer games rarely provide good source material for films of substance, as recent years have clearly shown. What makes me hopeful in this case is a mix of factors. Firstly, an adoptive prince wielding a fancy sword in the dust-laden streets and rooftops of Persia sounds more cinematic than, say, hitmen or bio-hazardous creatures. Secondly, the various editions of the game developed over the past twenty years have provided numerous plot opportunities, many of which have been considered when formulating this script. Thirdly, the film is a project by the Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer powerhouses. If they could make the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy based on a theme park ride, this should be easy.

Who’s in it?

Taking on his first proper starring action-role, Jake Gyllenhaal will be donning the fancy outfits as the hero in question. One of the most talented actors of his generation, he has shown great versatility in films such as Donnie Darko, Zodiac, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead and the recent Brothers. I hope he was lured by a promising script, rather than just by a big cheque and the chance to show some biceps. The great Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Elegy, Shutter Island) will be epitomizing all the evil, while Alfred Molina (Frida, An Education) will be the hero’s mentor. Adding some grace to all the sweaty machismo is the lovely Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans) as the princess. The man behind the camera is the Brit Mike Newell, best known for Four Weddings and a Funeral and the fourth Harry Potter film.

Review (18/05/10)

Life is now

I vaguely remember some sort of plot going on in the background when I used to play Prince of Persia on my 16-colour monitor. A few lines of back-story which I had hastily skipped through at the beginning, and a pixellated princess waiting for me at the end. But I paid little notice. All I was concerned about was the next jump, the obstacles in my path, and the sword-wielding assassin I knew was waiting in the next screen. I lived in the moment, and it was great.

Plot for sale

Unfortunately, this seems to have been the attitude adopted for the film version. The flimsiest of plots, laughable even by computer-game fantasy standards, is hovering in the background as an excuse for our heroic prince to jump deftly from rooftop to rooftop. When the prince was under the control of my battered keyboard, it was thrilling and addictive. But watching it unfold from a spectator point of view, it loses novelty fast.

One jump ahead

Mind you, the numerous rooftop sequences are nicely done. Bathed in the dusty sunlight of Morocco (standing in for ancient Persian Empire), Dastan jumps, clambers, twists and turns his way through the bustling city centres, like a live-action Aladdin on steroids. Incorporating elements of parkour (a recently developed obstacle-avoiding discipline), the filmmakers have obviously put great effort into the action scenes, and I'm sure they'll elicit a few nostalgic smiles from fans of the game.

Fortune-telling

Once those smiles fade, however, it's back to the awkward dialogue, the embarrassing attempts to keep a straight face whilst spouting pseudo-mythical nonsense, and the overall feeling of predictability which runs through each duel, each chase, each encounter. For a film which uses turning back time and destiny as a plot device, it's quite ironic that the sequence of events is so inevitable.

Saving face

Possibly the only person who acquits himself honourably is Alfred Molina, who manages to imbibe his Sheik scoundrel with humour and affability. Gyllenhaal looks sincere enough, but his faint smiles and laughing eyes make it seem as if he was in on the joke, and realised he shouldn't take his character too seriously. Gemma Arterton fails miserably, however, in what seems to be a direct sequel to her character from Clash of the Titans. Standing proud and stiff (and admittedly looking quite sizzling), she sounds horribly misplaced amongst all the Persians. It takes more than a spray-on tan to make a English girl the ‘Princess of Alamut’. The less said about Ben Kingsley's motivations as the villain, the better.

In the end

I admitted to having high hopes for this one, but they have gone the way of the Persian Empire. The rooftop chases are thrilling, but that's about it. This is one of the huge films of this summer, but in this case it’s a huge disappointment.

Trailer:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/princeofpersiathesandsoftime/

Clash of the Titans

• Released Internationally on 26/03/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 14/04/10
• Showing in ‘RealD’ 3D at Empire Cinemas, Buġibba and in 2D everywhere else

In a nutshell

If you learnt all your Greek mythology from secondary school and Disney’s Hercules, this might be a good opportunity for a not-too-accurate update. A remake of the 1981 classic, this battle of the gods is big, boisterous and not too brainy.

Oh my gods

The film opens with a much-needed prologue, where as we watch lightning snake across the sky, a soothing voice fills us in on the current state of Greek god affairs. Zeus rules the skies, whilst his brother Hades runs the underworld. We are also told that Poseidon captains the seas, but we hardly get to see him, despite Danny Huston (Birth) being cast in the role. One can only presume his scenes amongst the many that were allegedly cut. Back to politics – the people of Argos (the city, not the franchise), are angry with the gods for what they claim is poor recent management, so they declare war on Zeus by destroying the huge statue of him that stands astride their jagged coast. Bold move.

Of course, you know, this means war

In the meantime, we meet Perseus, who is adopted by a fisherman (Pete Postlethwaite – The Usual Suspects, Romeo + Juliet) after being found as a baby, adrift in a coffin with his dead mother. He grows into quite a strong lad, which can be partly explained by the fact that he is in fact the illegitimate son of Zeus. The attack by Hades on Argos, and on Perseus’ adoptive family, spurs the young man to accept a perilous mission to find a way to defeat the humungous Kraken, which Hades has threatened to unleash on Argos unless they sacrifice their princess, Andromeda (Alexa Davalos – Defiance).

I need a hero

Confused yet? If not, then by all means rush to watch this film. If you are, don’t worry – it won’t matter much in the end. The prologue unfolds so quickly and fitfully that before you know it Perseus is leaving Argos, with a small band of suicidal men, ready to face the numerous battle scenes that the script has prepared for him. Taking on this main role is rapidly rising actor Sam Worthington, whom you might have seen in Avatar. He seems to have walked off that set and onto this one, as he sticks to the same accent, look and motivation. Unfortunately, not even all the rousing one-liners that the screenplay throws at him are enough to breathe any true emotion into his role, and it’s ironic that the hero ends up being so two-dimensional in a film made for 3D.

Easy to hate

Films like this are unfortunately becoming common in this age where so much depends on your opening weekend box-office. Grand scope, enormous aspirations, hefty budgets, big names. Sadly coupled with poor writing, last-minute cuts and re-shoots that decimate the film, and a belief that spectacular effects alone with make the film a good one. Much like the 1981 original, the film boasts top-drawer actors in the roles of the gods, but the result is painful to watch, as Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List) as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient) as Hades prance around in grotesque hair and make-up spouting dialogue that would make a Dynasty fan cringe. Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), as Perseus’ tepid love interest, looks very British and slightly out of place amongst all the olive-skinned Greeks. Also jarring is the last-minute replacement soundtrack, which tries too hard to drum up some sense of awe, but could easily have been copied and pasted from numerous recent action films. For all the emphasis they are given, the effects occasionally falter too, with some of the creatures being only slightly more convincing than their Harryhausen predecessors. But in the film’s final act, when the kraken is released, nearly all is forgiven.

Fun to like

Ultimately, this film needs to be watched as a source for mindless fun, rather than inspiration or art. The film starts building to its climax from an early stage, and the oncoming kraken onslaught hangs heavily over the proceedings throughout. Once he (she? it?) is awoken, many of the wince-worthy moments that came before are forgotten, and we can sit back and grin through a bombastic and destructive conclusion full of shrieking Greeks and slithering tentacles. The scenes with Perseus astride Pegasus are probably the best in the film, and his mismatched duel with Godzilla’s grandfather manages to make some sense of all that came before it.

In the end

Director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Incredible Hulk) seems to have taken on too big a project, but in his defence the end product is probably very far from what he originally planned to make. For such grave source material, the film is rather ridiculous at times, but if you’re after a couple of hours of beasts, bombast and numerous heavenly bodies, than you might enjoy this more than you expected to. It’s a quiet month, so why not?

Trailer:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/clashofthetitans/