Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time (Popsot) is a film based on a video game remade by Ubisoft in 2003 from an older game, Prince of Persia, from 1989.
As a videogame-to-film piece, Popsot comes out somewhere on top of the pile, possibly even eclipsing Tomb Raider 1 as the King of the genre.
Not only does the general story follow that of the Ubisoft product, some filming techniques even mimic visuals from the game, such as the “preview” sequences from its console cousin. The use of acrobatics is also a welcome addition to the film. Although not as prominent as in the game, in which it is the core gameplay element used to solve puzzles and advance the story, it was a nice touch to make it one of the more important character traits of Dastan, the titular Prince of Persia of the movie, without overdoing it.
The characters are well written and acted, with a solid cast who seems to be having a lot of fun with the material, with one exception being Ben Kingsley, who has this look on his face like he is wondering what the heck he’s doing in these clothes? The special effects are on par with a summer blockbuster, meaning they are big, loud and feel like way too much icing on a good cake, which is to be expected with this type of film.
The movie is non-stop action, from the first minute to the very last second, with barely any filler to speak of. The script goes to the point, does what it is supposed to and stays true to the source material in a way that is rarely experienced in a film based on a video game.
Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time is a fun time at the movies that should not be missed on the big screen for its visuals and sounds. It will shine a bright, warm light on a rainy day of summer.
7.5/10
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