Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-23 06:53:12

review meter

This review is from: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (DVD) This Movie is very good. Lots of action,suspense,mystery,etc.#1 movie to have in your home.I`am glad that I purchase it.

2012-05-22 12:37:18

Jerry and Jake try their best to grab the Disney Corporation demographic.

Here's another over-budgeted, computer-generated epic catering to the kinds of adolescents that look forward to the next videogame movie on the Hollywood assembly line. It is a Bruckheimer production, under his Disney contract, so doesn't adequately exploit any of the sex and violence inherent in such action fantasies. Gyllenhaal looks pretty uncomfortable throughout and disguises his performance with a British accent. Jerry really went all out on this flimsy premise, even giving everyone a Moroccan vacation; and there was no reason not to think that a buff Jake would pull in the boxoffice bucks - oh well, better luck next time. The blu-ray delivers a crisp picture and is noticeably loud, but it's one of those action flicks that will probably be used to sell the cinema experience on a handheld device.

Quantumorganization007 2012-05-17 17:16:31

If Jerry Bruckheimer can make a movie out of a theme park ride, he most surely can make a movie based off a video game!

Doom. Tomb Raider. Max Payne. Hit-man. Bloodrayne. Just to name a few.Those are movies that were based of video games, but when I saw them, Ifelt like throwing up afterwords because they were so bad. When I heardthat they were making "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" I becameoverly excited and wondered who would play the role of the Prince. OnceI had learned that Jordan Mechner, the game's creator, played a bigpart in the screenplay for the movie, and that Jerry Bruckheimer wasproducing it, I was very pleased. But at the same time, I was also alittle let down but at the same time felt like this movie couldactually be good because it was a Disney movie. Let me tell ya, Disney does not disappoint... again.To me, the movie really took off from the beginning. Everything I hadseen from the clips that were released were almost in the beginning ormiddle of the film. I kind of seemed they cut shots and jumped to thenext scene a little too fast, but then the calmed down, and everythingworked out fine.The first 20 minutes are action-packed. It really shows you what thefilm's story is. The raid on Alamut is a good opener to such a highlypromoted film. Couldn't have asked for it to open any better!! Afterthat, the action clams down for a while.About 50 minutes in, it picks back up with a spectacular chase that wasreally cool. then it cools down again. Then, the last quarter of the film. where to begin. So much happenedthat I walked out of the theater at the end wanting to watch it again.It seemed as though the end came too quickly. and i didn't want that. Iwas displeased with the running time of the movie (116 minutes) as Ifelt it could've been a little longer specifically because of the typeof movie it is. But it felt longer than two hours, which was reallygood to me.Now for the acting. Jake Gyllenhaal was superb. That's all I'm gonnasay for him. Alfred Molina was my favorite character because of his slysense of humor. Ben Kingsley added to his bad guy roles a Nizam, andplayed that role well. And the Princess? Well, they could've pickedsomeone better for her but nonetheless I liked her.So the final verdict: Not as good as Disney's other mega franchise"Pirates of the Caribbean" but a bit better than National Treasure, andPrince of Persia will be the next big movie franchise that Disney willhave to offer. Enjoy!

2012-05-16 23:58:26

Action and Adventure Abound

Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time was a classic summer movie full of action and adventure. The actors were good looking, the special effects decent, and the story entertaining. While not destined to become a classic, I found this to be the perfect movie to kick off summer 2010, or occupy a couple hours of time when the opportunity presents itself.

Movie_Muse_Reviews 2012-05-15 22:52:06

Plenty of fun action and the first inherently likable video game film

If you're Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer, how do you go about findingyour next "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise? Well, you start bykeeping the whole cast in long hair and eyeliner only you relocate themto the desert. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is a familiarswashbuckling adventure only transplanted to the Middle East andoutfitted with turbans, swords with even bigger curves, snakes and lotsand lots of sand.Based on the popular video game created by Jordan Mechner, fans willdelight to hear that "Prince of Persia" is one of few truly enjoyableadaptations out there. But then again, when Disney is there to throwmoney at it, this is hardly unexpected. I can't speak to loyalty towardcharacters or game story lines, but only a few lines of expositorydialogue that repeat a bit too often and one or two scenes actuallyfeel mildly like a video game."Persia" lacks the charm of "Pirates," but there's no deficit in thearea of thrills or adventure. The plot is sometimes too complex for itsown good; at numerous points we turn to Princess Tamina (GemmaArterton) as she explains some previously missing piece of informationabout the sands of time that suddenly shift the direction of the storytoward yet another adventure or action sequence, but it's not poorlycontrived -- just contrived -- and the thrills that await don'tdisappoint both in terms of visual effects and creative fun.Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) was an orphan plucked from the streetsand raised as a prince for a heroic act he performed as a child.Fast-forward to now. After leading a crafty siege of Tamina's holykingdom of Alamut, who allegedly has been aiding Persia's enemies,Dastan is framed for the king's murder and becomes a fugitive from hisown people, escaping with the help of Tamina. The reason for all ofthis is a dagger that controls time, which fortunately, Dastanpossesses. But all it means is more trouble awaits them both.Gyllenhaal wears the blockbuster lead hero crown just as well aseveryone thought he would and Arterton ("Clash of the Titans") matcheshis likability in giving the film's only multi- dimensionalperformance. Their classic loathing-turned-love romance subplot ends upbeing the only attention the script gives to developing character, butthey achieve the goal of winning the audience's favor in spite of someineffective humor. Alfred Molina's money-grubbing side character isabout as funny as "Persia" gets and funny just means he can be a prettygood quirky character actor."Persia" works as a fun summer holiday blockbuster with flaws that arenot too difficult to overlook, kind of like last Christmas' "SherlockHolmes" only without the prowess of a Robert Downey Jr. at the helm.Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") knows how tocommand a fun film and get the most bite in terms of action for a PG-13movie. There are one or two more jumping or slow-mo shots of Gyllenhaalthan necessary, but never a dull moment, especially with the script'sever-building momentum. There's probably not enough juice here for twoor any sequels for that matter, but "Persia" is far from anothermediocre video game adaptation.~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com

oneguyrambling 2012-05-15 17:45:57

Not the total lazy cash in they'd have you believe.

Young Dastan, an orphan rascal is taken in by the king of the land andadopted at the start of the film, despite the fact that the dudealready has two functioning sons already in Seso and Garsiv. Why doeshe take a shine to the kid? Because the kid stuck up for one of hissimilarly hard done by mates, that's why.That kid grew up to be Jake Gyllenhall, which is lucky as he is thestar of this film where he is called Dastan. Dastan and his twobrothers, now adults are on a bit of a "flex our muscles" mission withthe King's brother Nizam in tow in an advisory capacity. Uponintelligence received that the city they are outside has weapons theydevise a plan: attack the city and take it over.I said they were princes, not master strategists.Dastan thinks that by flanking the city and taking the army by surprisethey can minimise casualties on both sides. His brothers don't agree.He does it anyway. Success.Near the end of the battle Dastan picks up a strange dagger and tucksit away, you better believe this is an important coincidence.As a prize of victory the eldest brother takes the cities' PrincessTamina for himself (fair enough too, it's hard toppling peacefulneutral cities), once they arrive home to inform the King of theirsuccess he turns out to be a fair bloke and re-gifts the Princess toDastan, thinking the eldest brother already has enough wives.Unfortunately a present provided to Dastan for him to give to the Kingat a celebratory feast turns out to be poisoned, killing him instantly.All present instantly blame Dastan and want him dead. He scarpers,taking the Princess along with him.This is where things get interesting, Princess Tamina has had her eyefirmly fixed on the dagger since Dastan showed - normally chickslooking hard at Jake's beltline is commonplace - but not at a stabbingweapon. Dastan discovers that the dagger is magical, and at the pressof a button rewinds time by a few moments enabling the carrier to alterevents. The drawback is that the dagger is fueled by special sands inthe hilt, and supplies are low.Dastan is unsure who killed his Father and is determined to get to thebottom of the issue and clear his name. After considering his optionshe decides he has no alternative but to go back to the city and sortthis all out. Along the way he makes enemies with an ostrich wrangler(Alfred Molina) and his knife throwing henchman.Back in the city Dastan discovers who was really behind his Father'smurder and why. He also learns that the dagger is actually a keyelement in the fiendish plot, this is further complicated when thePrincess poaches the dagger and does a bolt.The next hour or so sees Dastan and the Princess playing hot potatowith the magical weapon, pursued at times by otherworldly assassinsrecruited by the bad guy, the "ostrich racing gang", and his brothers.Dastan eventually comes to realise that in order to make things righthe must save the future from happening to itself.Enemies turn to allies and vice versa along the way, Dastan and thePrincess share a series of longing glances and lingering touches andeverything finishes with some pretty PG 13 action.Before I continue in this vein, making the film sound ordinary andclichéd I must point out that all the PG action is done in quite anentertaining way, nothing is too racy or violent but the action movesalong at a nice pace and Jake gets to show off the results of 3 monthsof personal training and watching his diet carefully.In homage to the video game series Dastan gets to scale walls thatLeBron James couldn't get up, can jump gaps and crevasses Carl Lewiswouldn't attempt even with Ben Johnson's steroids, and can kill dozensof assailants without spilling a drop of their blood, let alone hisown. (Take that Kevorkian!) The plot revolves around identifying thebad guy and defeating him, with the side issues being the romanticparts and transforming doubters to allies. It is after all a Disneymovie, there can only be one main bad guy and his minions, everyoneelse is a good guy or a confused guy; one who will eventually realisethey were wrong and become a good guy.Exactly how it came to pass that every guy with a tan is Persian andnot being American means you must speak with a clipped British accentI'll never know. Suffice to say I didn't see many actors, even extraswho would satisfy the visual criteria of being of Middle Easternextraction, and the fact that everyone speaks with the same Englishaccent is disturbing.I guess there will be a generation of Americans that is positive thatbeing from any other country means enunciating your words well andsounding like James Bond. No wonder they get frustrated when peoplehave the hide to speak another language even when in their homecountry.The Prince of Persia is slickly made, fairly entertaining fare withsolid set pieces and a sequel ready plot It has no real (at leastgraphic) violence, no sex or even potty talk and innuendo.That doesn't make it a bad movie, in fact this time it makes it apretty good one.Final Rating – 7 / 10. Congrats Jake, all the exercise paid off, now ifyou can only get anyone to watch this thing instead of the next Sawsequel or moronic spoof film.

Ziglet_mir 2012-05-15 05:46:14

First Great Video Game Based Movie

I went in thinking that "Prince of Persia" would not be so fantastic--thinking it would be one of those poorly done video game movies thatcollect dust and become forgotten (like The Mario Bros Movie andResident Evil). But with a cast with Jake Gyllenhal and Gemma Arterton,I was hopeful. And both actors did not disappoint. The story alsoremained fairly faithful to the original game, which also for me, madethe movie more enjoyable. But with the parts they did change theyexecuted well and I was still happy. Overall it was a job well done.The moments of time travel with the dagger are done beautifully andmasterfully. And the acting overall is strong.The future for video game-based movies look promising and I hope theyall follow in the footsteps of "Prince of Perisa". Two thumbs up forMike Newell.

Laura Clifford 2012-05-14 14:48:38

With all the Disney elements in place - a treacherous uncle, a plucky princess, the funny sidekick and a hero with the eyes of an animated Disney princess - "Prince of Persia" is an unabashed popcorn flick that's quite a bit of fun.

rewind41 2012-05-14 13:45:56

Give it a Try

I'll make this real quick and short. Prince of Persia: The Sands ofTime seems to be just like other video game flick movies. But I've gotto say this movie is much better than other video game flick movies.The actors and actress are pretty good, especially Gyllenhaal(I think Isaw him in 'The Day After Tomorrow' totally different) the intensitywas kept up throughout the film and the action was excellent. greatjumping sliding and running scenes, keeps the taste of Prince of Persiavideo game. **but there's one scene that reminds me of Assassins'sCreed(video game) the scene that Dastan stands on that wooden thing andjump... never mind ***the plot was so much better than Clash of the Titans. For COT, thestory kept going just like the characters move up from one stage toanother which you know what will happen for sure. But this, Price ofPersia, it was a little bit of unpredictable, especially the feudbetween the brothers.(it was like "awww.. why? he's your brother!", yougotta see it.)-one thing I want to say is, the concept of the dagger was interestingand I thought they are going to use it priceless throughout the film.But each time they use the sand in the dagger, it was superb, like'wow'-I thought it's gonna be terrible but no, its greatoverall I think Price of Persia was much better than I expected.Ithought it's gonna be terrible. But the excitement kept me on the seatthroughout the scene, the dialog was not dry like other video gameflick movies, and the action was not boring, overused.8/10

redoddball 2012-05-13 23:45:00

A convoluted mess that's caught in no man's land.

This movie falls into the abyss of most summer movies - excellentadvertising for an at-best mediocre product. Just think, some peoplethought they were disappointed by Terminator Salvation last year atthis time. Prince of Persia makes the stupidity of TS look likeCasablanca by comparison.Prince of Persia offers nothing new in any way, shape or form. It's aconvoluted mess that's caught in no man's land. It takes itself far tooseriously yet offers ridiculous action (ridiculous as in dumb, not asin wild or fun) and even more ridiculous characters. It wants to betaken seriously but functions in bizarre surroundings with a foolishplot. The original Mummy worked because they buried tongue firmly incheek. This movie tries to take two paths but it simply can't stand onits own as a film. Does often joyless, dark and dumb appeal to even thepopcorn crowds? The rest of us want way more in our summer movies. IronMan started the year off right but the Prince here is a giant stepbackward.

Beth Wilson 2012-05-13 04:18:50

With the plot so under-nurtured, the action sequences needed to be spectacular, but many audiences will probably leave the cinema unsatisfied.

pcongleton-1 2012-05-12 13:07:39

Throw caution to the wind and sit back and watch this thrill-ride unfold on the screen. It is fun and that is all it's supposed to be.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) – A Review by Phil CongletonWhat I found most interesting about this experience is the fact that Ididn't know this film was based on a video game until after I saw it. Iwas told about that fact by a friend and once he said that to me Iimmediately felt that I wouldn't have liked it as much if I had knownthat ahead of time. So, when you see this movie forget that it is basedon a video game. So, with my ignorance intact I went into this filmthinking it was another sword and sandal movie with neat specialeffects. Produced by the same group (Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney),that produced the Pirates of the Caribbean films, this one is much likethe Pirates films. Huge sets, groundbreaking special effects, largecast, even larger cast of extras, and booming soundtrack. It containsthe same general formula – very Disney. The good guy (Jake Gyllenhaalas our Prince), the beautiful, but tough love interest (GemmaArterton), a supporting cast, who you can never tell is good or bad andbad guys, who you can't tell are good or bad either, much like thePirates films. You just don't know who is good or bad. Is the badreally that bad? Will the bad turn good or the good turn bad? The filmcontains high-octane energy, great music and special effects andwonderful stunts. Gellenhall does a convincing job as an agile,sword-wielding superhero from the ancient lands of Persia. It could bea tough sell for some people because it involves a lot oftime-traveling. If you don't have the brain capacity to handle timetravel than this isn't the film for you. Arterton, although I liked herin other things, seemed kind of weak on the acting in this one. It feltlike she was going through the motions. Alfred Molina is great as usualas the owner of an ostrich racetrack who becomes intertwined with theplight of our Prince. However to keep in-line with some JerryBruckheimer-produced fare it is light on story and contains a lot ofcorny dialogue. However, throw caution to the wind and sit back andwatch this thrill-ride unfold on the screen. It is fun and that is allit's supposed to be.

2012-05-12 09:06:44

Enjoyable flick

I can't really complain about this film. I've never played any of the Prince of Persia games, so I have no idea what has been changed from the canon. On its own, the movie is decent, with nice special effects (especially when the Sands of Time was being used) and the actors weren't bad. I rented it from a Redbox, and I don't regret the one dollar I spent on it. Depending on whether you're a fan of this 'Prince of Persia' universe, you might enjoy watching it again, but I myself have no desire to. The plotline itself was decent and believable, so that's always a plus.

2012-05-11 19:29:21

Should there be a sequel?

This review is from: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (DVD) In my opinion, yes. A BIG Budget Live Action Disney film with big stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley. A Jerry Bruckheimer production. Phenominal special effects. What's not too like?

freemantle_uk 2012-05-08 18:41:50

Pure Summer Blockbuster Action

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is easily one of the best computergame adaptations made so far, but considering the competition that wasnot hard: Tomb Raider, Super Mario Brothers, Street Fighter, MortalKombat and the continuous works of Uwe Boll to name a few.Uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer was able to turn a theme park ride intoone of the most successful film series in recent years, so a computershould not be that hard.In the 9th Century, the Persian Empire is one of the mightiestsuperpowers, spanning from India to Turkey, Egypt and Sudan. Dastan(Jake Gyllenhall) was an orphan who was adopted by the king (RonaldPickup) and raised as his son with his biological children Tus (RichardCoyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell). Years later the Persian Empire invadethe holy city Alamut after receiving intelligence that they were makingweapons and selling the Persia's enemies. But after the city isconquered Dastan is framed for assassinating the king and Dastan has togo on the run with the city's ruler Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton)who wants to kill him. Dastan discovers that the Princess has a knifethat could reserve time by a minute and puts two to two together thatthe real target was the knife. Dastan sets to prove his innocents tothe only man he can trust, his uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley).I have not played the games the film is based on so I can only judge itas a film. It is clear that some elements were taken from the game,with Dastan running on walls and using wooden pillars pointing out thewalls. But many computer game films fall because they are either notloyal enough to the games they are based or not having a strong storyor even throwing too many elements of the game in the film (StreetFighter was criticised on all three fronts). At least Prince of Persiaattempted to tell a story about a Prince proving his innocents andstopping people using a magical item (a simple story but at least it istrying to create a narrative).The style and tone of the film is very much like Pirates of theCaribbean, a light-hearted big-budget action film. The comedy throughthe main character is much like Jack Sparrow and it is basically a fastpaced action film with many different factions and characters. Thecasting of Arterton reminded me of the casting of Keira Knightley, anup and coming British actress who is strong and feisty. The AlfredMolina character was there to add comic relief and there are manyfactors in this world. Some scenes reminded me of other films, likewhen the princes ask where Dastan is and he is fighting with his men, alittle like in Troy where Achilles was sleeping with a woman instead ofthe battlefield. The battle scenes felt like the film was trying to belike Lord of the Rings and Troy and it was decent. But this is a filmthat is unlikely to match Lord of the Rings for great fantasy.The acting was find for the most part, Gyllenhall was able to provide agood English accent and shows he can be an action star. But for a filmset in the Middle East Gyllenhall is remarkably pale, which is madeeven worst when at least the rest cast at least got a tan. Butobviously Hollywood believes that people are not ready to have a Arab,Indian or Persian hero in a film and with the state of Islamophobia inthe States at the moment it is unlikely to change. Also whilstGyllenhall is good as a dramatic actor, he does not have the greatcomic ability Johnny Depp. But the comic material was not as pronouncedas in Pirates. Arterton acting was very much like Knightley's inPirates, posh, stiff and not very good. She has had good rolls but thisis not her breakout role. Most of the comedy revolved around Gyllenhalland Arterton, as well as Molina. Kingsley was clearly the antagonistbut in movie canon you should never trust a bold man with a beard andnever trust a man who has eyeliner.Mike Newell direction was workmanlike, which does not have to a badthings sometimes. He had experience with fantasy filmmaking, directingHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Prince of Persia was certainly afast paced film. The action scenes well handled, but a little too clearconsidering there were pitch battles in a city. There is a good sceneinvolving a knife throwing fight. The CGI was also of a good level andthe usual things like costumes and the scenery was well done. TheMiddle Eastern style score was also fitting for the film.Prince of Persia disappointed at the box-office and a big flop in 2010.There is not much likelihood of a sequel being made but the way thefilm ended meant that everything was rounded up. Overall it is a funenough film and a 6.7/10 that Prince of Persia currently has is a fairscore.

Wes Lambert 2012-05-08 07:48:07

At least I got to see trailers for Tron and The Last Airbender

First off, thanks to Staceybon from Twitter for helping me come up witha one word description for "Prince of Persia". You see, I thought Iwould be clever and asked for suggestions about what to call a moviewhere you ultimately enjoy the trailers more than the movie. She cutright to the chase with a concise and easy to remember answer - "crap!"Does "Prince of Persia" deserve to be called crap? I think to do sowill at least nod toward the fact that some of these big blockbustertype movies are trending toward being unforgettable and unsatisfying.Don't worry "Iron Man II" I'm not talking about you but yes "Clash ofthe Titans" I am talking about you. I guess now I need to justify sucha lukewarm response to Prince of Persia...I was never any good at video games although I did have a good run atFrogger one time. My characters are klutzes who bump into things anddie in embarrassing and shameful ways. Based on all of the jumping,leaping and wall climbing involved in "Prince of Persia", I am sure Iwould have sucked at the video game the movie is based on. This storyis set in the sprawling empire of Persia and is about Dastan (JakeGyllenhaal) who was adopted by the King and rescued from the life of astreet urchin. This happens because like most movie orphans Dastanpractically glows with spunk and virtue that the King may see missingin his own over privileged family. The downside of this situation isthat eventually somebody is going to try to discredit and/or kill you.When the King is killed, Dastan is framed and finds himself on the runwith the most beautiful princess in all of Persia (Gemma Arterton asTamina). She is no ordinary bare belly Persian princess though becauseshe is the sacred protector of a dagger that contains the "sands oftime" which can turn back time. While on the run we get all of theexpected video game like action, effects like Dastan using the daggerand snarky flirting between Dastan and Tamina. It's the type offlirting that really begs "get a room" or in this case a tent but neverrises to the level of passion implied later in the movie.The plot really fails when there is exposition about what to do withthe dagger. There is a source for the sand but putting the dagger therewill lead to very, very bad things, It can be returned to the stonefrom which it was made or ( and this is where I checked out) there is asecret fortress where it can always be kept safe. OK, why not keep itat the fortress to begin with? Also we only see one other personbesides Dastan use the dagger and why not? Couldn't said brave princessuse the dagger's power to keep it from being capture to begin with? Ohwell, we end up with a huge finale full of sand, fire and death thatleads to......wait for it.... a big fat reset button that renders allwe have seen moot. Good points? The scenes of vast deserts and Persian palaces are donewell. Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley can go to the head of the classbecause they play their one note characters well. Molina is used forquite a few laughs and Kingsley arches his eyebrows in just the rightdeceptively evil way throughout the movie. I've read that JakeGyllenhaal's nicely buffed up body might be a reason to pay up and seethis movie. I prefer leaner Brokeback Jake, and I don't think the absfactor even makes this movie worth the price of admission.

Hussain Mansoor 2012-05-05 04:48:52

I really liked the movie

I have played the game and i was under the impression based on somereviews that this movie is a children movie, however i was quiteimpressed, Its a well made movie and the suspense and storyline isquite interesting, If you are between seeing it and not, you wontregret going for it. The effects are very good, some of them are veryresembling to the game however i never felt that this was now treadingto the non sense. The last scene was the best scene when the Princejust comes back to first scene and the whole story makes sense. Overalla movie which keeps you gripped till the end in my opinion is a goodmovie and i felt this movie did the job.

David Nusair 2012-05-04 17:18:44

...a pointless and aggressively bland big-budget disaster.

Battery_Of_Fun 2012-05-02 22:59:22

Beautiful Movie But Underrated

Well looking at ratings this movie got i wasn't looking forward to agreat experience but just "for fun" movie, nothing serious.But after watching it I think this movie at-least deserved rating ofover 7.5.....And a bit more appreciation.....Okay, maybe a few improvements should have been made, that's why itshould have 7.5, not 8.5 Improvements such as a little more depth in characters and a bit moreengrossing acting by the cast and in some places, the scenery didn'tfeel so real, so eye catching..... Also the ending had a nice twist,but it shouldn't have been all "happy forever after"........ At-leastit should've been made into a duology But all-in-all it was a good experience and should be seen at a goodtheater with friends...

rooee 2012-05-02 03:35:28

You'll want to rewind two hours

I remember playing the original Prince of Persia on the Amiga 500. Itwas a race against time to rescue a princess from an evil vizier. Andthat was it. No time-bending; no art du déplacement. Just fencing andjumping and pits of spikes.The new tie-in from increasingly hack-like director Mike Newell isbased on more recent incarnations, of course. But however complexmodern videogames have become, it's not that interesting to watchsomeone else play a computer game, and that's basically what you gethere. The Sands of Time element involves a dagger with a button whichrewinds time by a few seconds. You can imagine a young Spielbergrevelling in a craftily-written scene in which the smouldering heroesbicker and flirt, jostling events to out-do one another, subtlysubverting our expectations whilst satisfying our need to beentertained. This script (the product of four minds, including originalPoP creator, Jordan Mechner) gets the bickering and flirting bit, butthere's none of the craft.In fact, the script is downright lame. Lots of plot, yes, but writtenso thuddingly, and with so much exposition, that none of the boringcharacters have a chance to do any acting. Least of all Sir BenKingsley, who seems to be having zero fun as the sinister patriarch.There's some wit in Alfred Molina's Sheik Amar, but ultimately hispresence only serves to remind us that the aforementioned Mr Spielbergmade a vastly superior action adventure 28 years ago.Indeed, Raiders of the Lost Ark spawned a phenomenal franchise. Disneyand Bruckheimer may hope for similar affection, or at least the dollarsof the Pirates machine - but I fear they'll receive neither.