Książę Persji: Piaski czasu

Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton are the two reasons that I am inclined to give this flick a higher rating. You won’t find a more likeable couple in any adventure spectacle. This film is driven by spectacular set designs, good music and a pleasantly exotic atmosphere, but what does affect the movie in a bad way is the minimum of original ideas, ignoring the potential of supporting characters and surprisingly confusing action scenes. Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy and Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean were simply more refined. (20.05.2010)

Surprisingly, it exceeded my (to be honest, very low) expectations. Prince of Persia is a harmless summer blockbuster with a very likeable main couple. The story doesn’t try to be smart (any viewer with at least some experience will guess the ending) and the performances aren’t brilliant, but that would’ve been too much to expect. I had fun, so I’m satisfied. 6/10 (18.08.2010)

Jerry emptied the golden Persian treasury, exchanged it for dollars, and entrusted two hundred million to an English director of conversational films. The trailers warned us, but I really didn't see this fiasco coming. Newell gives you proof that in Pirates of the Caribbean, Verbinski wasn't just a cheap routinist with a bloated wallet after a few minutes, when he shoots all the scenes in detail so that the action is a confused and cluttered show of people jumping all over the castle walls. Then this repeats after twenty minutes without any significant innovation. The film also severely lacks any mystique, so there is no risk of being drawn into the plot (which is more or less non-existent anyway). I was downright ashamed of Jake, but I admired Gemma immensely for two hours. This type of beautiful and beautifully-sarcastic actress has been missing in Hollywood blockbusters for a long time. I’m giving it two stars just for the fact that Clash of the Titans pissed me off a little more than this. I actually left the movie theater for 5 minutes in the second third, thinking I was going to give up... (19.06.2010)

Newell is good with actors – the mischievous and sparkly Gyllenhaal / Arterton duet is a pleasure to watch – but Newell is desperate not to do it with epic sauce. Even in Harry Potter, it was noticeable when some of the conversations were the funniest and most impressive things about the film. Prince of Persia is putting on a sterile crown. Futile fancy magic with a "game-like" camera, parkour walled in by the editing, and duels that are wooden and lack anything. Some of the images are unbearably plastic instead of fabulously magical. Nevertheless, I had a very satisfying time with the film. As a fairytale it works (thanks to the actors), only the feeling of plastic harmlessness of the environment limits the fantasy. The Prince of Persia is such a nice Disney figure who doesn't offend. Sometimes he delights, sometimes he jumps around without even plucking out of lethargy. Too bad, the potential was there, and it was considerable. I will miss Jake's veal conception in action fantasy. (01.09.2010)

Not enough Sheik Amar, that's the only concrete memory I have of it two hours after the screening. But I wasn't bored and I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised, I was expecting a lot worse and stupider (in the context of dumb summer blockbusters of course). (05.06.2010)

The most talkative fairy tale that Scheherazade told us. Prince Dastan has an argument for everything, and Princess Tamina has the sharpest tongue ever known in the East, and among all the dialogues and arguments, one sometimes wishes for the storyteller's spirit to reappear, spreading the play around him in every step, jump, or duel. However, the plot pleased me more than I dared to expect. The game creator added exactly those plot twists that fascinated me in the original, and the dagger, the hourglass, the villain, and the chemistry of the main duo decided that the atmosphere of the Sands of Time had arrived. 70% (01.06.2010)

The Sands of Time is a very nice example of how money can be wasted in the film industry when the producer thinks that a grand set design, special effects, and handsome actors in lead roles can accomplish everything. However, the story itself is unremarkable and undeveloped, and the characters get lost in it. Even actors like Ben Kingsley are shamefully underutilized, so I soon felt bored and sleepy. Of course, ladies can admire the warriors' biceps and the dresses of the movie beauties, and gentlemen can enjoy the clanging of weapons, but that doesn't change my conviction that The Sands of Time is also a waste of time. Overall impression: 45%. (06.03.2011)

This was the first time I have ever experienced being absolutely alone in the auditorium. I proprietorially swooped with a glance over the empty auditorium, laughed and let myself be carried off to far away Persia where the brave prince Dastan, mouthy princess Tamina and one super cool dagger that turns time upside down, wander... wander and save the world and each other and do the usual marvelous fairytale things. A lot has changed since I last played “Prince of Persia" (around the year ‘98). For the better (and that’s saying something, it used to be my favorite platform game, along with “Aladdin") making it even more bombastic. Jerry B. had almost everything in control, as usual: feast-for-the-eyes Gemma Anderton dressed as a princess, towns, palaces, snakes, chasms, traps, but made the mistake of letting that sentimental Mike Newell direct the movie. The only benefit that he brought to the movie is confusing action scenes, but I could easily do without them. He spoiled part four of Potter in the same way, remember? But the saving grace of this movie is the excellent tempo (there’s always something happening and something to look at) and pleasant supporting characters. Initially, I couldn’t imagine Gyllenhaal in a role like this, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. And Harry Gregson-Williams did a good job with the music and, rather than originality, put his money on tried and tested themes with an oriental taste that is good to listen to. Did you know that ostriches have suicidal tendencies? Look at this poor thing! (31.07.2010)

For the longest time, I didn't want to believe that a feature film inspired by a legendary play could be such a flop. Sometimes it's actually better to go through the play footage and let the movie sleep. The only thing here that had any potential was Gemma Arterton's princess, but even she couldn't get out of the shadow of the likes of Dejah Thoris. (23.03.2021)

The Action and cinematography are well-known from computer games (Assassin's Creed). The plot is empty, unnecessarily filtered, overcomplicated, and overly colorful. Uninteresting. Only the central duo is interesting, with well-crafted dialogue, but that is a bit too little for a 200 million USD film. The people behind it relied on attracting audiences with a similar hype to Avatar, but they forgot that James Cameron, besides excellent marketing and a certain astuteness in setting the boundaries between correctness and his own way, knows how to direct very well. Mike Newell has confirmed with this that he does not. (18.09.2010)

A brisk film, in which there is practically no room for boredom (almost two hours pass by... like sand in an hourglass), the music was good, the special effects were good, the casting of all the roles (especially Ben Kingsley) was quite successful. I do have reservations about some of the dull dialogue, but considering that Prince is actually a simple summer popcorn flick with the goal of entertaining and not offending, it's not that bad. Perhaps the scriptwriters could have pushed the humor a little harder. And Mike Newell could've saved on the editing. I would definitely enjoy the parkour antics on the rooftops and one hard-to-see "escape" scene in particular more in longer shots. Three and a half. (30.06.2010)

Gemma Arterton is the type who can brighten up any film, but in this case, it brought back nostalgia for an old DOS game that I used to play on a computer that now belongs in a museum. Sure, this has more in common with newer games like "Prince of Persia," but I still felt a hint of that old classic. It's action-packed fun, nothing more, but it entertained me. (25.03.2014)

A very enjoyable affair that doesn't try to be something it's not and styles itself appealingly into an enjoyable romp that is technically perfect and offers a very nice visual aesthetic experience not least due to its nearly two hundred million dollar budget. Amazing sets, magnificent slow-motion, and a story that isn't as silly as it often is in this genre. Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton are a very likable duo here, plus when I take into account the fact that Prince of Persia made a very cohesive impression on me (apart from the acting performances, the charming stylization of the city, the excellent atmosphere, and the perfectly fitting soundtrack), the final verdict is that this is a decent, non-brainwashing popcorn flick that I will definitely want to revisit sooner or later. (29.04.2012)