As if the generic characters, Pagan madness, and pointless battles weren’t silly enough, the film continues to make things up as it goes. The supernatural elements mixed with ridiculous stunts further suffocate the potential of the action sequences. At least the costumes and sets spare no attention to detail.Īs with many of these domesticated adventure films, the overdose of slow motion, dramatic pauses, striking of photo-worthy poses, and close-ups of determined eyes only hurts the level of coolness the movie so exhaustingly tries to achieve. Is it inaccurate for characters from Persia to speak English, to be well versed in the martial arts form of parkour, or to use dialogue that includes words and phrases like “Press your luck,” “spoiled,” “insidious,” “obscene,” “chat,” and “Thursday?” Gyllenhaal may be the least likely candidate to play the tough-as-nails, combat-ready Prince of Persia, but he does meet the good-natured boyishness degree that Disney requires. Never has a film set in the deserts and dunes of ancient Asia felt less authentic. Learning from Tamina the true motives behind Alamut’s invasion, Dastan embarks on a perilous quest to stop an evil mastermind’s plot for ultimate power with a mystical weapon that can control the very fabric of time. When King Sharaman dies under mysterious circumstances shortly after, Dastan is accused of his murder and must flee with the princess on a harrowing mission to clear his name. Taking matters into his own hands, Tus orders an attack on the sacred city and, upon its fall, Dastan encounters the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). As his brothers Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) and Tus (Richard Coyle) plan battle strategies, a spy sends word that the Holy City of Alamut has been supplying weapons to enemies of Persia. Not to mention the location changes prefaced by titles like “Valley of the Slaves” and “Lair of the Hassansins.” Let’s hope there are no extra lives in the next level because “Game Over” can’t be far away.Īdopted from the streets of Nasaf by King Sharaman of Persia, young Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) grows up amongst royalty and quickly earns his place as a mighty warrior and prince. The first-person blueprints of castles under siege, unrealistic action moves with accompanying CG effects, and obvious “boss fights” are just too much. Perhaps the most disruptive element of the film is its insistence on recreating the video game feel. The dialogue is stale and far too modernized (though the actors do give it their best), the overuse of slow motion nears a threshold of tangible pain, and the comedy relief intrudes upon both reason and sanity. Rince of Persia” begins with the line “Long ago in a land far away.” Sound familiar? Sadly, a lack of originality isn’t the only thing plaguing this latest video game adaptation run through the ringers of Hollywood. Release Date: May 28th, 2010 MPAA Rating: Rĭirector: Mike Newell Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint “P That’s the bar: just kind of okay.Genre: Fantasy Running Time: 1 hr. Here are 13 live-action Hollywood video game movies that are just kind of okay. And we have high hopes for upcoming projects, including HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us and Tom Holland’s Uncharted. (We know, the bar is low.) Netflix's The Witcher series has taken as many cues from the novel series as the Geralt of the video games. The good news is that recent years have probably given us the best of the genre. There was only one group getting a hidden blade to the throat and that was the audience.) So instead of developing quality existent video game narratives, Hollywood has decided to ride do-nothing franchises like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil into the dirt and mire first-rate actors-Michael Fassbender, Jake Gyllenhaal, Alicia Vikander, Timothy Olyphant-in filthy mediocrity. (We’re looking at you, Assassin’s Creed-which has enough material for a very solid 8-season television series. Which makes decisions to deviate from great source material inexplicable. Plenty of games offer rich narrative experiences that-even if just adopted shot for shot-would make for a perfectly acceptable film. Now, the failure has absolutely nothing to do with the video game medium. The highest-rated video game movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes is Detective Pikachu at a 68 percent. The certainties in life: death, taxes, and the assurance that if a movie is based on a video game, that movie will probably suck.
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