Decent Time

What would you do if you could turn back time?

This question is the primary theme of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the video game-turned-movie of this past summer. Directed by none other than Mike Newell from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer, Prince of Persia was a guaranteed financial success. With connections like that, no movie could be a complete flop; it can, however, be bombarded by critics as fake, plotless, and predictable.

And the critics are right in that respect. Prince of Persia is about as original as a red brick; I could have predicted 90% of the whole plot and script. Ruggedly dashing warrior-hero? Check. Feisty princess/love interest? Check. Wicked stepmother, er, excuse me, uncle? Check. Someone saying, "You're not my type"? Check. The story was like a poorly cut-and-pasted word document; I couldn't help feeling bad for the screenwriters. Writing a movie based on a video game is no easy task, and I'm afraid they weren't up to the task.

But despite the cheesiness (by cheesy, I mean really cheesy), an admittedly exhausted Jillian enjoyed it more than she expected. Most of its appeal comes from Jake Gyllenhaal's debonair performance. Not unlike Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, Gyllenhaal sweeps around the screen, defeating entire cities, escaping all foes, and grinning roguishly at the ladies in the audience during all spare moments. In addition to his warrior charm, Gyllenhaal's Dastan has a sort of morality rare to find in today's hero. Not only does Dastan go out of his way to help the fair Olivia de Hav....I mean, Tamina - in the whole movie, all they share is one kiss. This hero type, although predictable as all get out, is much more classic and thus more enjoyable than that popular currently.

When you add to this an ending which gives your insides warm fuzzies, Prince of Persia was a decent use of a tired Friday night.