Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [DVD]

The DVD received in good condition and new. Delivery was on time.

Exceeded expectations! I had never seen it before but was pleasantly surprised. Jake and Ben steal the show here with terrific performances. Highly recommended for fans of the classic video game series. Zero complaints.

Enjoyed dvd very much.

There's nothing I love more than a big-budget blockbuster. I did not go in expecting much and when I came out, had decided Prince of Persia is worthy of the legacy Disney's last epic-scale franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, left behind.Orphaned and left to fend for himself, young Dastan never realized when he risked his life for another child that he would draw the attention of royalty, but when King Sharaman witnesses the boy's courage and fortitude, it is decided that Dastan will be raised as his own along with his sons. Fifteen years later, the royal princes are formidable in warfare and fond of one another. The eldest (Richard Coyle) is in training to become the future king of Persia, while his dutiful uncle Nizam (Ben Kingsley) guides his responses and assists him in making wise decisions. When it becomes known that one of their holy cities is supplying their enemies with weapons, it is decided that the city must be taken by force -- a feat that proves successful but not without cost. In defeating an adversary, Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) comes into possession of a fine dagger with a glass hilt. What he does not realize is this special dagger will give him the power to turn back time... and that it is worth killing for.One of the guardians of the magical dagger is Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), who becomes a fugitive along with Dastan when something unthinkable happens. Soon they are running from their lives with a ransom on their heads -- and the full force of the dagger has yet to be revealed. While this script is inspired by a popular video game, and the movie does play homage to the game in various fun and smart ways, it can stand alone as a decent piece of cinematic material. Most adaptations cannot claim that much -- this has a first-rate plot, some fun twists and turns, and enough adventure to satisfy even the most ADD audience. I can count on one hand the number of times an audience has applauded at the end of a film, and this is one of them. It's a romantic, dangerous, mystical adventure into a fantasy version of history, complete with gorgeous costumes and a solid cast. Gyllenhaal and Arterton have great chemistry and their romance does not feel rushed or forced, since it starts off on the wrong foot, continues into constant arguments, and then at the end begins to soften.Many of the escape methods and fighting techniques are straight out of the game -- leaping rooftops, sliding around on ropes, dangling from wooden pegs halfway up sheer walls, climbing with the assistance of arrows embedded into stone. There are a few modern jokes thrown in for the audience's enjoyment (one man Dastan runs into evades Persian taxes by spreading lies about the notorious thieves in a particular valley, whereas there is nothing more terrifying than ostrich races going on) and problematic material is kept to a minimum. If you're fond of the fantasy genre or were not concerned with the supernatural aspect in the Pirates films, this is no more pervasive and in some ways, less sinister since it doesn't involve the walking dead. It surprised me with the fact that it was simply fun to watch -- it doesn't require much emotional involvement but still manages to include a few wonderful moments and they were careful to keep the action scenes from becoming too repetitive. Overall, it's one of the more enjoyable experiences I have had in the cinema.

Great movie

As a personal rule of thumb, I tend to stay away from any movies (cartoons excluded) made by Disney. Or any movies based on computer games.Why?From experience, they tend to be very disappointing and boring. They tend to be "dumbed down" versions of real life situations.However, I'm glad to be proven wrong this time where Prince of Persia is concerned.It is a very entertaining movie and my entire family enjoyed watching it from beginning to end.The special effects are also wonderful, e.g. when the magical dagger is activated, it seems very realistic and is comparable to the "Back to the future" series where time travel is concerned.Just think of this as a medieval version of time travel.Another example of wonderful special effects is the view of the holy city. It was so wonderfully and realistically rendered in BLu-Ray that one of my family members actually thought that such a city existed in real life!Storywise, I'll refrain from any spoilers.Suffice to say that this is one of those "the butler did it" kind of movie. I kinda guessed who the "bad guy" would be the moment he first appeared in the movie, just like in "Angels and Demons". ;)The casting director did a good job here as all the actors and actresses had a perfect fit for all their respective roles. None of the actors/actresses ever appeared to be out of place in their roles.There are also sufficient twists and turns (both literally and figuratively) in the storyline and plenty of action to keep you and your family glued to your seats for the entire movie.This is one of those movies which deserves 5 POPCORNS out of 5!!!P.S. This movie is based on a computer game and it would be remiss of me to not add any comments about that.Well, the lead actor does jump and climb alot as in the computer game but anyone who has not played the computer game before would still enjoy watching this movie. It does not take away (nor add) anything from the overall visual experience.