Here’s what the critics are saying:
‘Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time’ is meant purely as light entertainment, but the way it draws on layers of junk is depressing. It’s based on clichés not only from old paintings but from some of the fruitiest and most swollen nineteen-fifties period spectacles; all this material, after passing through video games, now gets loaded back into a production requiring the wealth of corporate kings. For twenty years, audiences have been noticing the similarity between big action and fantasy movies and video games, but “Prince of Persia” goes beyond similarity; it actually feels like a video game.” [David Denby, New Yorker]
“To the credit of director Mike Newell (drawing on his Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire wrangling skills), a conclave of screenwriters who keep the dialogue on the sharp side, and the life’s-a-game instincts of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, all that Arabian Nights-like stuff unfolds at a brisk, well-paced clip. Also, the producers had the bright idea of encouraging indispensable Alfred Molina (An Education) to cut loose as Sheikh Amar, a vibrant wheeler-dealer reminiscent of Sydney Greenstreet in Casablanca. I wish the movie weren’t so visually junky-looking, and that the CGI action sequences (involving sand, and weapons, and the possible destruction of the world) weren’t so vacant. But hey, this is what a videogame movie looks like now. I know I can’t turn back time.” [Lisa Schwarzbaum, EW]
“Now as this genre goes, “Prince of Persia” doesn’t have the shoddy appearance of, say, “Alone in the Dark” or “House of the Dead” or any number of films from the infamous German director Uwe Boll. No, this is a Jerry Bruckheimer production, so it looks cheesy in the kind of monster-budget way you can only achieve through copious amounts of computer-generated imagery. There’s nothing terribly memorable about “Prince of Persia”; recalling the plot a half-hour afterward might require some effort.” [Christy Lemire, AP]
“Prince of Persia is by no means a great film, but it is an entertaining one, a nearly bloodless, family-friendly throwback of sorts to a cinematic age when Persian palace intrigue, winsome princesses, and ambitious princes ruled the back lots and Errol Flynn was in like, well, Errol Flynn. (It should be pointed out that Gyllenhaal, who is saddled here with a dodgy British accent and newborn heroic musculature, is no Flynn, but he’s infinitely more fun to watch than, say, Russell Crowe’s recent Robin Hood). Prince of Persia sports exactly the sort of convoluted, logic-free plotting we’ve come to expect from films based on gamer favorites, but that doesn’t really hinder its ability to hold your attention and, occasionally, move you to the edge of your seat.” [Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle]
“Yes, there’s no avoiding the obvious, Prince Of Persia arrives dragging that old bête noire for the blockbuster consumer: ‘based on a video-game’. How teeth gnash at the mere mention of previous attempts at entertainment synergy — those pummelling mishaps, Super Mario Bros., the Tomb Raiders or Street Fighters. It’s a barren landscape, but to a man unfazed by transforming a dusty theme-park ride into a billion-dollar franchise, why not rise to the challenges of making a gainful movie out of a popular platformer.” [Ian Nathan, Empire]
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