The great success of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ was both a blessing and a curse for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. A blessing because the Maushaus, now known as a hit machine, desperately needed a big hit in 2003. And ‘Armageddon’ maker Bruckheimer will hardly have complained that he ended up back on the right track after some commercial disappointments.
Damn because Disney and Bruckheimer misinterpreted the audience’s enthusiasm. They followed with further mixtures of action, adventure and (sub)genres that were believed to be dead, all in the (false) belief that they could repeat the pirate magic. This resulted in expensive flops such as “Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time”. The video game adaptation was supposed to launch an entire cinema franchise, but since the blockbuster grossed less than $337 million worldwide, those plans were immediately buried under the desert sand.
This made the $200 million production a quickly forgotten Disney/Bruckheimer setback – and also a LEGO curiosity, as she got a slew of LEGO sets that now sell very cheaply despite their rarity. Included ‘Prince Of Persia’ is not flawless, but it is an enjoyable adventure film that deserved more success. If you want to convince yourself of this: Today, September 24, 2023, ‘Prince of Persia’ airs on Disney Channel from 8:15 PM.
“Prince Of Persia”: Stately, amusing adventure
Persian prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his brothers wage a war of aggression against the city of Alamut – believing it supplies weapons to Persia’s enemies. Dastan discovers a mysterious dagger that allows you to turn back time a few seconds.
When the Persian king Sharaman is murdered during the victory celebration and Dastan becomes the main suspect, he wants to prove his innocence. The dagger comes in handy, as does the initially hesitant help from Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). Together they discover a conspiracy…
To get the elephant out of the room, casting Jake Gyllenhaal as a Persian prince and Gemma Arterton as an oriental princess is a slap in the face to those who are denied Hollywood leading roles because of their heritage. An avoidable role at that, as Iranian-born, later “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge” supporting actress Golshifteh Farahani was originally intended to play Tamina!
As inaccurate and unfair as the casting is, Gyllenhaal and Arterton are fun in their roles! Gyllenhaal is rarely seen in confident, friendly hero roles, but as Dastan he proves that he can score points at any time if he wants to.: He’s haughty but well-meaning, a bit clumsy and quick-witted – this is what Gyllenhaal’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man would have become if he had, in the meantime, inherited Tobey Maguire in “Spider-Man 2” as planned.
The casting of Arterton is in turn an attempt to repeat the brilliant casting of Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann: the British actress portrays the heroine, who finds the adventure exciting but is now reluctantly drawn into an equally well-read, bold, gallant and charmingly screechy. This is by no means original, but Arterton puts her own spin on her character, especially in the humorous component.
However, the focus is on the classic adventure feeling that sets ‘Prince Of Persia’ apart from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’: While Gore Verbinski approached his pirate spectacle with a rocker attitude, ‘Donnie Brasco’ director Mike Newell carefully updates the enchanted and Eastern swashbuckler from old Hollywood.
The beautiful sets and sets that are lavishly staged convey just as much “Prince Of Persia” as the adventurous romance that shines through the airwhile Dastan and Tamina bicker in the hot sand, growing together and fighting for their lives.
The score by Harry Gregson-Williams also has much more old-fashioned sounds than the music from “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Unfortunately, this does not compensate for the one or two dry spells of this excursion through a beautiful, vast world full of dangers. Or about the finale, which jettisons the ‘old school, new thought’ approach in favor of gruesome fireworks displays.
This Despite the negatives, “Prince Of Persia” is a respectable adventure cinema, which appeals not only because of its characters and features. But also because of the fast action scenes, which are peppered with daring course jumps and bizarre sights such as an ostrich race…